


beneath the uncountable stars

by WonderWhisp



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU where the Kerberos mission was successful, Alpha Shiro (Voltron), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Anal Sex, Barebacking, Because that's a thing in this AU, Consensual Somnophilia, Exhibitionism, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Falling In Love, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Knotting, M/M, Mating, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mpreg, Omega Lance (Voltron), Omega Verse, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Planned Pregnancy, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Post-Kerberos Mission, Pregnancy Kink, Pregnant Sex, Sexual Inexperience, Slow Burn, Socially accepted exhibitionism, Sugar Daddy Shiro (Voltron), Virgin Lance (Voltron), sugar daddy in the sense that he helps Lance continue his education
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-22
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2019-06-14 17:25:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 39
Words: 87,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15393714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WonderWhisp/pseuds/WonderWhisp
Summary: Lance’s voice became tinged with regret; Shiro felt terrible to hear that he had been kept from his dreams just because of his biology. He was so passionate…“I’m sorry you had to leave the Garrison just because you presented, Lance.”He just shrugged and gave a winning smile.“Who knows, I might go back one day and finally become a fighter pilot!”“I hope so,” Shiro said, returning his smile.Tired of the outdated traditions of Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics, Shiro wants nothing more than to give Lance a normal life outside of the confines of the esteemed Horotari Sanctuary for Omegas, where he has been trained in preparation for a high-status marriage. Shiro brings him home from the Sanctuary and they begin their new life, living together as platonic housemates. Lance appreciates Shiro’s kindness, and their friendship and mutual respect for each other soon brings deeper feelings. As they grow closer, Lance is eager to bend the rules and expectations of their culture, and Shiro is more than happy to oblige.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know a lot of fans use McClain as Lance's last name, since that's what it was in Voltron: Defender of the Universe. But since his full name in Legendary Defender has not been revealed yet, I chose the last name Cicerón.

“Alright, Sir Shirogane,” the tour guide, Arria, said, opening a pair of tall, solid wood double-doors, “this is our last stop on the tour. Everyone is looking forward to meeting you. Feel free to choose from any of our fine selection.”

Shiro followed her through the doors. Within, he found a long, high-ceilinged hall. A few healthy potted plants, a scenic oil painting on the wall, and a few pieces of finely-crafted furniture were the sole decorations. The walls were lined with windows that let in the early afternoon sun though voluminous sheer curtains. Shiro blinked as his eyes adjusted to the brighter light. 

On either side of the long hall, about twenty young men and women stood, staring steadfastly forward, their postures impeccably straight. They wore fine white linen tunics, hanging loosely but modestly on their bodies, and simple golden jewelry.

“If I may remind you,” Arria continued, “all of our Omegas here at the Horotari Sanctuary are born of Elite families and are virgins. Everyone in this group has had a minimum of six months of training and they are all attracted to men, so no need to worry there.”

“Er, thank you…” Shiro said, scratching the back of his head. He was not at all used to those kinds of things being discussed so casually, especially about strangers. “So, I just go up to any of them and start talking, or…?”

“Oh, most of them are not too talkative,” Arria said, looking up at Shiro from her clipboard. “It is a tremendous honor for them to be here today; they may be too overwhelmed by your presence to even speak.”

Shiro’s stomach turned with nervousness as he walked down the lineup, Arria following him like a shadow to answer any questions he might have. The Omegas were all beautiful enough, but everything felt wrong. _Where do I even start?_ he thought, panickily.

If he was honest with himself, Shiro was a romantic; he had always thought he would meet someone – maybe at the Galaxy Garrison, at a coffee shop, or in a park – get to know them, fall in love, mate, maybe have a few pups, grow old together. You know, the _normal_ way. But yesterday, his twenty-third birthday, his parents had had a “special announcement” for him.

When he had learned about the Horotari Sanctuary, secluded in a little-explored mountain range in the Southwest United States, Shiro had been disturbed, although not particularly surprised, at the existence of such a place. According to Shiro’s parents, Horotari Sanctuary was like a finishing school. Young people of wealthy, respected families, called the Elite, went to live there after presenting as Omegas to be taken care of and trained for high-standing marriages, learning the traditional duties of their dynamic: homemaking, child rearing, and serving their Alphas in every way. Only first-born Alphas of Elite families were allowed to select their Omegas from the Sanctuary once they had turned twenty-three.

On the way to the Sanctuary that morning, Shiro had told himself that he did not have to choose his mate from the Omegas there; just visiting Horotari and having a tour would hopefully be enough to appease his parents. He had only accepted his parents’ “gift” because it would have shamed the family if he had not; his parents had worked their whole lives to earn their status in society and Shiro would be considered ungrateful to pass up such an opportunity to visit the Horotari Sanctuary.

Shiro planned on staying for no longer than an hour; the first part of the tour of the expansive Sanctuary grounds had already taken a good twenty minutes, much to his relief. He felt immensely awkward, looking at these people as if he were merely walking by shelves of products at a grocery store; _how am I supposed to choose someone?_ he thought, _it’s impossible to get to know a person this way._

He might have wandered the hall without speaking to anyone for several minutes if it were not for one particular young man, standing on the right side of the hall, at the very end. He stood out because he was the only Omega to make eye contact as Shiro passed by. Shiro knew that in formal settings, Omegas were not allowed to do so unless first spoken to by an Alpha. Arria bristled at the Omega’s bold behavior, but when Shiro didn’t display any displeasure, she didn’t scold him. Shiro welcomed the eye contact gladly; it made him feel more like he was having a somewhat normal social interaction.

When Shiro approached and got a better look, he realized he recognized the Omega. His name was Lance Cicerón. A few years ago, they had had a gen-ed class together at the Garrison; even though there were two years between them, the class had included students of all ranks. They had worked together on a few group projects and, during their few classroom interactions, they had gotten along well, which had surprised Shiro, since most cadets Lance’s age had annoyed him. But Lance had always been so charismatic, a friend to everyone, and a great team member; a bit cocky, maybe, but that kind of personality was common among fighter pilots. The next semester, Shiro had not seen Lance around campus at all and had hoped he was okay, wherever he was.

Clearing his throat, Shiro approached him.

“Hi there,” he said; his own voice surprised him, it sounded so nervous. “Lance, right? We went to the Galaxy Garrison together.”

“Sh-Shiro!” Lance said, taken aback. “I’m surprised you recognize me…”

“Of course! I-”

“Lance is from the Elite Cicerón family of Cuba,” Arria chimed in, reading from the notes in her clipboard, “the youngest of eight, six of whom are Alphas. Both of his parents are the first-borns of their families, his mother an Alpha of the Ferdinando family and-”

“Thank you, Arria, but would you excuse Lance and me for a moment?” Shiro said, looking briefly towards her.

He rarely interrupted people, but he really wanted to have a normal conversation with Lance, like a normal person. Arria looked a bit shocked at his request, but she bowed and returned to the door at the front of the hall. Shiro turned back to Lance with a small smile.

“So… fancy meeting you here,” he said, looking around the hall. “After that class we had together, I never saw you again around the Garrison; I wondered where you were!” Shiro thought back to their few past interactions. “I thought you were a Beta…?”

“I presented late as an Omega after my first semester at the Garrison,” Lance said, crossing his arms behind his back. “I was chosen to come to the Sanctuary since I have a really good family heritage – my great-grandparents were Elites – and I was the first Omega born in my family in the last two generations. It was a huge honor and I knew it would make my family proud, so I agreed.”

Lance’s voice became tinged with regret; Shiro felt terrible to hear that he had been kept from his dreams just because of his biology. He was so passionate…

“I’m sorry you had to leave the Garrison just because you presented, Lance.”

He just shrugged and gave a winning smile.

“Who knows, I might go back one day and finally become a fighter pilot!”

“I hope so,” Shiro said, returning his smile. “So, Lance… we never really got to talk much, outside of our group project meetings. Tell me about yourself. What’re you interested in? Do you have any hobbies?”

Lance blinked a few moments, apparently surprised at the personal questions.

“Well, er, I love spending time with my family. Before coming here to Horotari, I loved to go swimming, surfing, and hunting and play video games with my siblings. They always called me ‘Sharpshooter…’” A small smile finally appeared on Lance’s face as he recalled fond memories; small as it was, it was a smile that brightened his whole face. “I also really enjoy learning about nature.”

“Nature? What, specifically, are you interested in?”  

Lance beamed. “Well, space – _obviously_! And the ocean, too. We always lived near the beach, so I loved reading about the ocean and then going out and seeing for myself the things I was reading about, both above and below the waves. I’ve always felt… oh…” Lance suddenly looked embarrassed, cheeks flaming. “I apologize for rambling.”

Shiro’s face fell, and he shook his hands placatingly. “Oh, no, no need to apologize, Lance. It’s good to be passionate about things.”

That bright smile returned, a little more confidently this time. “Thanks… So, anyway, before I left the Garrison, I heard you, Mr. Holt, and his son were going to Kerberos. How did that go?”

“Pretty well! The three of us made a great team and have remained good friends ever since. There’s been talk about taking a return trip to Pluto next year.”

“I know Pluto is still kind of mysterious, even after all this time. They’re still studying Kerberos’s orbit, right?”

“Yep; not much is known about its orbital resonance with Pluto’s other moons. Our mission was just getting ice samples; nothing too exciting.”

Lance excitedly clenched his fists at his chest. “But still! You were in _space_! Is it as amazing as everyone says?”

“It’s indescribable; looking out the window and seeing the Earth, and then looking ahead and seeing a billion stars, almost close enough to touch. It’s everything you’ve heard and more.”

The two young men shared a smile; Lance’s eyes were even more beautiful when filled with joy and excitement. Shiro wanted to continue to see them that way. This was their first real conversation other than their few interactions back at the Garrison, and they were already really clicking. _I really like him…_ he thought. _I wasn’t expecting to actually meet someone here, but if I were to choose anyone, it may as well be him. …Right?_

Lance began telling Shiro about all of his favorite constellations, planets, and moons that he had read about, though Shiro could only partially listen, as he got lost in thoughts of how to proceed. _I could choose him as my mate, but if I do, aren’t I just playing into the grossly outdated culture, where Omegas are basically just property, that the Horotari Sanctuary promotes?_

He nodded in agreement to Lance’s admiration of Edmond Halley, before his frantic thoughts continued, _But I don’t have to treat him like the other Alphas who come here to find their mates. I could take him home from the Sanctuary and give him a normal life, and treat him like a normal person, not just an Omega. I could help him continue his education at the Garrison, travel the world and let him see all the oceans, maybe even explore the universe… Feelings might develop naturally over time, but we could just live together platonically, regardless._

On top of that, his parents were covering all of his expenses to the Sanctuary, including the “purchase” of an Omega. Here was an Omega that Shiro liked and saw so much potential in; he may as well put that money to good use! His mind made up, Shiro waited for Lance to transition into his next topic to gently speak up.

“Lance… I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you better.”

“I have, too!” Lance said with a grin.

“I’d really like to discuss these things with you more and spend more time together. I don’t suppose there’s somewhere in the Sanctuary we could go and sit more comfortably…?”

“Oh, er, not really,” Lance said, looking a bit awkward. “Usually, Alphas come in, look at the Omegas, maybe chat a bit, choose their favorite from the lineup, and go home with them. There’s not really much time to get to know each other better, without, er, you know…”

“Right…” Shiro said, nodding at Lance’s meaning. “Well, I’ve got to say…” he laughed sheepishly, “I really like you, now that we’ve had a chance to really talk outside of school, and I don’t think I am interested in meeting anyone else here, so… would you do me the honor of coming home with me?”

Lance covered his mouth to stifle a gasp, which was still quite loud. “M-me?!”

Shiro gently took his hands away from his mouth and held them in his own hands. “Yes, you, Lance,” he said with a warm smile. “You deserve so much more than being cooped up here in the Sanctuary or being kept as someone’s Omega. I want to help you learn about the world, become whatever you want to be, and live a life that’s all your own, regardless of your dynamic as an Omega. What do you say?”

His talkativeness momentarily forgotten, Lance was speechless for several moments; he stood so still he hardly appeared to be breathing. Then all of a sudden, he wrapped his arms around Shiro’s neck in an exuberant hug. Shiro hesitantly put his arms around Lance’s shoulders, completing the embrace.

“I’d like that,” he said softly, just next to Shiro’s ear.

The two of them held the embrace for a few moments before Shiro pulled back; when he did, he saw Lance’s eyes were shining with tears. The sight caused Shiro’s heart to swell.


	2. Chapter 2

Now that the two of them had decided to go home from the Sanctuary together, Shiro and Lance both felt a bit awkward just standing there, unsure of how to continue. The other Omegas who were near Lance in the lineup had heard what happened and congratulated Lance; the news quickly spread throughout the long hall and everyone else joined in. Lance blushed from all the attention, but he didn’t seem to mind too much. After all of Lance’s training at the Sanctuary, Shiro figured he must have been proud of himself to have been chosen. The other Omegas avoided Shiro’s gaze and hardly spoke to him at all, though, in keeping with their training.

Once all the congratulating had wrapped up, Shiro turned to Lance and said, “Let’s go tell Arria.”

However, it was not as simple as just telling the caretaker his selection and walking out the door. The process reminded Shiro all too unnervingly of the time from his childhood when his parents had adopted a dog: there was paperwork and they had to sign several documents and Lance had an actual _price_ , based off his age, Elite family history, the amount of time he had spent at the Sanctuary, and domestic skills he had mastered while living there. Shiro wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t that. Regardless, his parents had given him money for the occasion as part of his birthday, so he handed it over, more than happy to get it out of his pocket.

While Shiro and Arria went through the paperwork, Lance went to his quarters to pack his belongings. Shortly after they finished with the “transaction,” (Shiro hated to think of it that way), Lance returned to Arria’s office with a suitcase in tow. The staff members and the other Omegas of the Sanctuary (including several who had not been in Lance’s group) were gathered in front of the building where Shiro’s car was parked, to say their goodbyes. Lance did not seem to be particularly close with any of them, but he was friendly and wished them all the best.

As the Sanctuary was located in a mountain range, the trip to Shiro’s house in the countryside was a little over two hours. Shiro had been nervous that the car ride would be awkward, given the unusual circumstances they were in, but it turned out that he had had nothing to worry about. He and Lance chatted as easily as they had before.

Lance told him more about his hometown in Cuba, about his beloved family and the many friends he had grown up with. Lance closely associated his home with the beach, and so he soon got to talking more about the ocean again. Interested in learning more, Shiro occasionally asked questions, which often led Lance down rather amusing rabbit trails. He made a mental note to plan on visiting Cuba with Lance for holidays; he obviously missed his family a lot.

After about forty-five minutes of this, Lance came to a sudden pause. Shiro took his eyes off of the road to look over at him; he suddenly looked embarrassed.

“Sorry, I was rambling again…”

“Lance, I really do love hearing what you have to say. Listening to your stories and the things you’re interested in has made the time fly; we’re almost halfway through our trip and it feels like we just left! Please, don’t apologize.”

“Sorry, er-” Lance realized he had just apologized _for_ apologizing, causing Shiro to chuckle. “There aren’t really any good listeners at the Sanctuary – I didn’t really have too many in-depth conversations with anyone there – so I guess I have forgotten what it’s like. Thanks for listening… but I really do want to learn more about you, too!”

“Oh… well, alright!”

So Shiro talked about himself, as requested, though he could have listened to Lance for hours more. He told a few stories from his days as a student and the trip to Kerberos; he also talked about his job at the Garrison, his Golden Retriever Natsu, and his love for playing the piano. He was aware that he was not talking nearly as much about his family as Lance had about his, but there really wasn’t much to say. He had never been close with either of his parents, was an only child, and did not live near any of his extended family. 

It wasn’t long before they arrived at Shiro’s house. Glancing over to the passenger seat, Shiro saw that Lance was looking intently out the car window as they grew closer. After parking, the two of them got out of the car and Shiro retrieved Lance’s suitcase from the trunk; it was pretty light. _Mental note number 2_ , Shiro thought, _take Lance shopping for some more clothes._

“You _live_ here?!” Lance exclaimed. “It’s beautiful!”

“Thank you! I inherited it from my grandparents. It’s pretty big for just one person, so it’ll be nice to have someone else living here, too!”

As they entered the atrium, Lance tilted his head back to look around, his eyes wide.

“I hope I don’t get lost in here!”

Shiro laughed, “Well, let me show you around!”

Before they got too far, however, Shiro’s dog came barreling around the corner from the living room. Lance’s face lit up brighter than Shiro had yet seen it.

“Oooh, you must be the famous Natsu!” Lance said, bending down on one knee. He extended his hand for Natsu to smell, but she soon bypassed that to lick his face. Lance cooed and baby-talked to her, saying how pretty she was as he rubbed expertly behind her floppy ears.

Shiro watched the interaction with amusement. _Good thing he likes dogs,_ he thought, relieved.

With Natsu close at their heels, they walked around the downstairs area, including the living room, dining room, and sunroom. Their last stop before going upstairs was the kitchen. Natsu settled into her large bed in the corner of the spacious room.

“Ooh, this is really nice!” Lance commented, resting his hands on the back of a stool at the breakfast bar. “It’s super modern, but it matches the older style of the house perfectly!”

“Yeah, my parents had it renovated two years ago as a gift, since I like cooking.”

Lance’s wandering eyes returned to Shiro; he looked a bit surprised.

“Oh, you don’t have a chef?”

“Er, no,” Shiro said, shaking his head. “I don’t believe in having servants or hired help.”

“Well, that’s fine! Now that I’m here, I’ll be taking care of your meals! You’ll have to give me a list of all of your favorites.”

“That’s kind of you, Lance, but I enjoy cooking! Maybe we can trade off, one of us make supper every other day? We could cook together, too! I’ve lived alone ever since I was 18, so I’m used to doing all the chores.”

If Lance had been a machine, this information wouldn’t have computed. He blinked several times, apparently confused.

“Oh… You know, in all of our cooking and home-skills lessons back at the Sanctuary, our teachers never mentioned the possibility of our Alphas doing chores with us.”

“The Sanctuary must be pretty traditionally-oriented, huh?”

Lance nodded emphatically. “ _Oh_ , yeah. I felt like I was living in the year 1835 or something. It’s like the few Omega civil rights we have gotten in the last couple of decades don’t even exist there. But that’s how most Elite Alphas are; when they get an Omega from the Sanctuary, they expect them to have a mastery of all domestic tasks: cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, interior decorating, caring for children…” He blushed a bit at mention of the last task, looking away from Shiro.

Sensing his awkwardness, Shiro wanted to reassure him. “Well, I’m sure your skills will come in handy, but we’ll be working together, alright?”

“Alright!” Lance agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Your kind comments on the last chapter were a big encouragement! I'd love to continue to hear your thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

They soon finished the tour of the downstairs of Shiro’s house, so they made their way to the second floor. Shiro was glad his house was the size it was; many of his Elite family members, including his parents, lived in mansions, having much more space than they needed but viewed as requisite because of their place in society. The house he had inherited from his grandparents was nice, but it wasn’t excessive in size.

Once they arrived at the second floor, Lance looked over the wrought-iron railing that surrounded the landing to see the front door and part of the living room below.

“Hello down there!” he called, as if to see if there would be an echo. “What a great view!”

“Yeah, I’ve always liked how open and spacious the entryway of the house is.”

Going down the hall, they passed by Shiro’s home office. Fortunately, he rarely had to take work home with him, so he mostly used the room for organizing his bills, legal documents, and other records.

“And here is my room-” Shiro said, as they arrived at his door. They entered, but before he could say anything else, Lance had flung himself, headfirst, onto the bed. “Whoa, Lance! Are you okay? Did you trip?” he asked, rushing forward to Lance’s side.

Instead of replying, Lance arched his back, supporting himself by his elbows pressed firmly on top of them mattress. He raised his ass slowly; it took Shiro a few moments to realize that Lance hadn’t tripped but was intentionally _presenting_ himself to him. The realization made Shiro’s mouth go dry, in equal parts surprise and arousal.

“L-Lance!” Shiro choked, slowly backing away from the bed. “What are you…?”

“I am yours to take, Shiro,” Lance said softly, his gaze remaining resolutely forward, not meeting Shiro’s eyes. “Please, make me yours.”

At his words, passion and lust immediately unfurled in Shiro’s stomach, with more strength this time – all of his Alpha instincts were screaming _get on with it, idiot!_ – but he took a deep breath to steady himself and burry his primal feelings.

“Lance… please get up,” Shiro said gently, extending a hand to him.

Lance raised his head and looked at the extended hand, then up at Shiro. He almost seemed to be calculating something; whatever it was, he eventually made up his mind and took Shiro’s hand, allowing him to help him back to his feet.

“Sorry… I-I apologize, Shiro, I must have misinterpreted what you wanted…” Lance said, covering his face with his hands. “Please forgive me for assuming-”

Shiro took a step closer and placed a hand to Lance’s back. “Lance, shh, it’s okay. I’m not angry with you…”

“D-do you not want me?” he whispered, his voice cracking.

The question broke Shiro’s heart. Lance had been training as an Elite Omega for the last two years; he had finally been chosen to be someone’s mate, someone with whom he was already getting along well, only to have his Alpha reject his submission, his offering of his whole being. The last thing Shiro wanted was to make Lance feel unwanted in his new home.

“Lance, I…” Shiro said, biting his lip, as he tried to find the right words. “Do you remember what I said back at the Sanctuary? I want to help you have a normal life, apart from just being an Omega. I meant that.”

Lance looked back at him blankly. Shiro gestured for them to sit on the edge of his bed.

“When my parents told me that I had the opportunity to go to Horotari Sanctuary for my birthday, I almost didn’t accept. The idea of ‘ _buying_ ’ my mate was, and still is, repulsive to me. If I was to ever have a mate, I wanted to meet them under normal circumstances, like most people do, but my parents said it would be dishonorable to ignore their gift. They gave me the money and insisted I go.”

“So, you came to Horotari just to appease your parents…?”

“Exactly; I would never have gone there otherwise. I don’t mean to offend you or look down on your hard work and training, but I really don’t agree with the traditionalism the Sanctuary practices.”

"No offence taken!"

“I dreaded the trip, and during the tour, I couldn't wait to leave. But then I saw _you_ were there. We got along so well, like we had in that class at the Garrison, and I just had a good feeling. When I decided to choose you, I figured that taking you home with me would allow us to get to know each other better, become friends, and _maybe_ have feelings develop naturally, you know, over time.”

“Oh…” Lance said, his eyes widening.

“And if we decide we just want to remain friends, you would be free to move out and look elsewhere for a mate, if you want.”

“Well, not really.”

Shiro furrowed a brow. “What do you mean?”

“Even if we never develop feelings, bond, and mate, you legally purchased me and brought me home from an Elite Omega Sanctuary, so in the eyes of the government, you do own me. If I did move out of your house and date other people and someone found out about it, we could both get into serious trouble.”

“I see…” Shiro said thoughtfully. “God, I had no idea it was like that. In that case, I could get a… refund, I guess? I’m not sure what to call it, but I’m sure there would be a way to annul my ownership. I could tell the government that we weren’t compatible but that there’s nothing wrong with you, and of course give you a wonderful reference to whoever you meet, if need be.”

A look of hope finally returned to Lance’s face.

“That could work, _if_ need be,” Lance said, repeating the phrase Shiro had used. “But we’re kind of jumping the gun, talking about that. I mean, I _do_ like you! And we get along so well!”

Shiro let himself laugh, “Yeah, I like you, too! Regardless, we’ll figure out how to cross those bridges _if_ we come to them. For now, I just want you to know that you aren’t obliged to me at all. I’m ready to commit to being your Alpha; I know you’re so passionate about learning and I want to help you with your education, and travel, and show you new experiences, like I said earlier. I’d love to be your companion, platonic and, maybe one day, romantic. But only if that’s what you want.”

“Well, as of right now, I definitely want to stay with you, and let whatever will happen, happen.”

“I’m… I’m really glad to hear that, Lance. I know this situation is awfully unusual, and not really what you trained for…”

“It’s fine, really,” Lance said, putting a hesitant hand to Shiro’s shoulder; he must not have been used to touching Alphas. “Like everyone back at the Sanctuary, I was resigned to just being someone’s Omega: serving my Alpha, bearing their children, being some kind of ‘trophy husband’ for the rest of my life. But I have always hoped for adventure, or at least, the chance to, you know, do something different. And here it is!”

“Here it is,” Shiro agreed.

They smiled at each other, a feeling of understanding settling between them.

“Anyway!” Shiro said, returning to the moment. He gestured to his bedroom door. “Why don’t I show you to your bedroom? It was my guestroom, but it’ll be your room now. It was going to be the next stop on the tour before, er, you know…”

“Before I presented myself to you!” Lance said, laughing at himself as they headed back into the hallway. “God, that was embarrassing…”

“No, no, I understand! You did what you thought would be expected of you. I should have clarified sooner that I was showing you my room just as a part of the tour, to show you where it is, _not_ because it was going to be _your_ room, too. At least, not for right now… I mean…” There was no straightforward way to talk about the potential of romance between them.

Lance laughed good-naturedly. “Well, I’m glad we’ve got that taken care of!”

They walked down the hall towards the guestroom, which was now Lance’s room. Along the way, Shiro pointed out his home library (many of the books inherited from his grandparents), his workout room, the rec room (complete with video games and ping-pong and a pool table) and the guest bathroom, which Lance would have all to himself since Shiro’s room had a bathroom attached to it. Shiro opened the door to Lance’s room and showed him inside. He had never put too much effort into decorating his guestroom; it looked presentable, but nothing particularly impressive.

Lance, however, seemed rather impressed.

“I love it!” He stood in the middle of the room and turned in a slow circle before sitting down on the light blue comforter. “My favorite color!” he said happily. Jumping back up, he bounded over to the window seat. “And I love the view of the garden!”

“Well, great!” Shiro smiled. “Although, feel free to decorate as you like. Do you have any posters or knickknacks or anything with you?”

He shook his head. “Just some pictures of my family; we weren’t allowed to decorate our rooms back at the Sanctuary very much.”

“I can take you shopping later to get you some more decorations if you’d like! And I noticed your suitcase was pretty light; do you need any more clothes or toiletries?”

“I’d really appreciate that, yeah. I do have a few casual clothes with me, but not much.” Lance looked down at his white tunic that he was still wearing. “I can finally stop wearing these dumb tunics!” He unhooked the gold choker from around his neck and placed on the dresser. Looking back to Shiro, he said, “I could call my family and ask them to send my old clothes and stuff from home.” He paused to consider, “…Including my phone, which was deactivated before I left for the Sanctuary.”

Shiro held out his phone. “Here, feel free to use mine! I’ll head downstairs and give you some privacy while you catch up. Say hello to-”

“Oh, stay here, Shiro, please!” Lance said, playfully tugging his arm before he could leave the room. “I know my family would love to meet you, even if it’s just over the phone!”

A warm feeling spread through Shiro’s chest; he was flattered that Lance would want him to sit in on a call with his family.

“Do you want to do a video-call?” Shiro asked.

“I doubt my parents have gotten smartphones in the last two years. They aren’t exactly techno-savvy!”

Shiro chuckled. “Neither are mine, but that doesn’t stop them from getting a new smartphone every year!” 

“I’ll explain our situation to them – that we’re just friends and everything.” Lance started dialing the number. “Hopefully someone will pick up, even though they won’t recognize the number…”

They sat down on the bed to pass the time, but they didn’t have to wait long. Lance’s eyes suddenly brightened with excitement before he let loose a barrage of words in Spanish, pausing only to laugh with delight and listen to the person on the other end. Shiro had taken a few Spanish classes in high school, but Lance was talking way too quickly for him to understand many words other than “ _mamá_ ” and “ _papá_.”

Looking to Shiro, he held the phone away from his mouth and said, “My mom answered; she put the phone down to get everyone in the house together to talk. My sister Ana is going to help her put it on speakerphone. It might get a little noisy!”

“That’s fine!” Shiro said, smiling reassuringly.

And in a matter of seconds, at least ten other voices joined in on the other side of the phone call; Shiro could hear them even before Lance tapped the speakerphone button.

Lance listened to the happy cacophony for a few seconds before telling Shiro, “I think everyone’s there! My family lives all together – my, parents, grandparents, all my older siblings, their spouses, and kids – but I’m surprised I caught them all at home at the same time!” He quickly reverted back to Spanish, apparently answering a question. When he started speaking English again a few minutes later, he wasn’t speaking to just Shiro this time. “Okay, everyone, say ‘hi’ to Shiro in English!”

At least a dozen gregarious variations of “hi” came through Shiro’s phone held between him and Lance.

“Hello, Cicerón family!” he called back, waving for good measure, even though they couldn’t see him. He was all too aware of how quiet his voice was in comparison to the lively chorus of voices on the phone. He quickly thought through his Spanish 101 class; he had never been good at Spanish grammar, but he remembered the vocabulary decently well. “Er, _su hijo es muy amable y guapo_ ,” he said haltingly.

The noise on the phone erupted in response. Lance looked to him in surprise, smiling with a mixture of amusement and perhaps pride at Shiro’s effort. Laughing, Shiro mouthed to Lance, _was that right?_ with an uncertain shrug.

Lance addressed his family again: “Hold on, Shiro doesn’t know a lot of Spanish, back to English, please.”

Once everyone settled down, Shiro answered a few questions about himself, Lance occasionally stepping in to explain some English words and phrases his family wasn’t familiar with. There was quite a lot of repetition, as the family members were talking over each other in their excitement and the phone connection was not quite clear. Shiro wasn’t sure how well they understood his and Lance’s situation – that Shiro had brought him home from the Sanctuary just to be housemates and friends – but even so, he felt like the conversation had gone pretty well, all things considered.

Lance wrapped up the phone call with a few minutes more of conversation in Spanish, asking questions of his family, presumably about what they had been up to. He left the call on speakerphone; it wasn’t anything private, after all, and Shiro couldn’t understand what was being said, anyway. In those few minutes, Shiro sat there on the bed, listening to the musical sounds of the family’s conversation, the ebb and flow of questions, answers, stories being told, laughs, the universal sounds of surprise, interest, affection. Shiro wished his family talked so easily, though he quickly swallowed any feelings of jealousy, as he was happy for Lance and his closeness with his family.

The phone call came to a rambling end, and what Shiro took to be “I love yous” in Spanish were exchanged a dozen or more times. Lance’s parents even said “We love you!” to Shiro in English, as if he were already their son-in-law. He returned the words; he had never met the people before, but somehow, he felt like he already loved them. Lance ended the call and returned Shiro’s phone to him.

“That went _so_ well!” Lance said, still bursting with excitement. “I kept asking them about what’s going on back home, but they kept turning the conversation back to you!”

“I’m glad they like me,” Shiro said, smiling even as his ears reddened with embarrassment.

“My dad’s English isn’t every good, but he wanted me to thank you for bringing me home from the Sanctuary and for taking care of me. He and Mamá sounded really relieved that I was chosen by a good person.” Lance looked down a moment before returning his gaze to Shiro’s eyes. “Thank you, again, Shiro; not just from me, but from my whole family, too.”

“It’s my pleasure,” Shiro said through the knot in his throat. And he really meant it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and for all your kind comments on the last chapter. I'd love to hear from you!


	4. Chapter 4

As the evening wore on, they headed back downstairs to start on supper. Shiro hadn’t been expecting to be cooking for two that night, so he didn’t have many ingredients to make a special supper.

“It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, Shiro!” Lance insisted, looking around the fridge.

Shiro checked his pantry. “Well, I _do_ have everything we’d need for pancakes and bacon.”

“Great! I love breakfast for supper! I’ll get started on frying the bacon.”

Shiro showed him where the skillets and spatulas were stored and got him set up at the stove before making the pancake batter. They chatted as they each prepared their dish; meanwhile, Natsu went back and forth between the two of them, looking hopeful. Once he had a few strips of bacon cooked, Lance was about to give into her puppy-dog eyes.

“No people-food for Natsu, Lance!” Shiro said, playfully scolding him. “I’m going to move my mixing bowl to _this_ counter, so I can keep an eye on you two!”

“What are you talking about? Natsu and I are perfect angels!”

Chuckling, Shiro reached into the pantry to get his electric griddle. But just as he did, his phone rang. Checking the screen, a frown tugged at his lips.

Turning away from the pantry, he said, “My mom’s calling.”

He quickly put the electric griddle on the counter, plugged it in so that it would start preheating, and, after a few long strides, he was in the living room. He didn’t want to bring down the happy atmosphere in the kitchen.

“Hello, mother,” he said.

“Takashi, how did the visit to the Horotari Sanctuary go? Did you meet anyone nice?”

Shiro refrained from rolling his eyes – his mother would be able to tell – at the use of his first name.

“Er, it went well, thank you,” he said slowly. “It was beautiful, driving through the mountains, and the tour was just-”

“Yes, yes, the Sanctuary is lovely, but did you find an Omega you like?”

“I… I did, actually. He-”

“Oh, wonderful! See, your father and I told you, you just needed the extra push to meet the right person. You really dragged your heels, but aren’t you glad you went now? You can thank us later! I can’t wait to meet him, I’m sure he’s just adorable. Why don’t you two come over for lunch on Saturday? I’ll have Reynard make all your favorites.”

Shiro couldn’t see a way out of this; once his mother had an idea, not much could slow her down. Particularly when it related to proving her point about something.

He squeezed his eyes shut. “Alright, we’ll be there around 11:30.”

“Splendid! Your father and I will see you both then.”

And she hung up. Fortunately, she was never one to talk for much longer than necessary on the phone. Shiro returned to the kitchen; Lance looked over his shoulder at his approach.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, my mother just invited us over for lunch Saturday with her and my father,” Shiro said as he started pouring out the batter into four circles in each corner of the griddle.

Lance looked down to flip a strip of bacon, the sizzle from the skillet the only sound to be heard for a few moments.

“I’m sure _that’ll_ be fun,” he said dryly.

Shiro smirked as he added chocolate chips to half of the pancakes as they cooked before flipping them over.

“I didn’t get a chance to tell her about our situation; she pretty much dominated the conversation… as usual.”

Lance stacked the bacon onto a paper towel spread on a plate, to soak up the grease a bit, and brought it over to where Shiro was standing at his pancake station. He leaned against the counter, watching Shiro transfer to the four finished pancakes to a plate before starting on a new batch.

“We’ll have to explain everything to them when we see them at lunch,” Lance said.

“Yeah…” Shiro agreed slowly. As he stared at the pancakes on the griddle, he thought about his mother’s smug tone over the phone in their short conversation; he couldn’t stand it. “And _then_ she pretty much said we owe it all to her and Father that we’re ‘together,’ because they’re the ones who provided my trip to the Sanctuary; I obviously would never have gone otherwise.”

“Er, Shiro-” Lance raised a polite finger, but Shiro hardly noticed.

“I mean, _technically_ she’s right: we probably would never have seen each other again once you left the Garrison if they hadn’t made me go to the Sanctuary. Sure. And I _am_ glad we found each other again. But I’m supposed to feel grateful to them? I felt awful going to the Sanctuary; you were the only bright spot today-”

“Shiro, the pancakes!”

Shiro’s eyes darted down to the griddle; the pancakes were nearly burnt to a crisp, as he had forgotten to flip them. He scrubbed a hand over his face before stacking the burnt pancakes on his spatula and tossing them in the trash.

“I’m sorry, I guess I got kind of worked up…” he said as he poured fresh batter.

Lance smiled, obviously a little amused by seeing Shiro lose his cool.

“Well, no harm done. You’ll probably feel better once you’ve eaten. While you finish up that batch, I’ll set the table. The dinner plates are in this cabinet, right?” 

 

* * *

 

Sitting down at the kitchen table, Shiro still felt the frustration over his mother’s comments. But as they dug into their breakfast-for-supper (with Natsu closely attending), the stress slowly melted from Shiro’s shoulders. He had been talking with Lance for a good portion of the day – at the Sanctuary, the car ride home, the tour of the house – and he didn’t think he would ever tire of it. He was still dreading the upcoming lunch with his parents – it was only two days away – but it was no longer on the forefront of his mind. Just being with Lance had a calming effect on him.

“Now, about the Garrison,” Lance said about halfway through their meal. “Earlier today, you said you want to help me continue my education as a fighter pilot, despite me being an Omega.”

“Right,” Shiro said with a nod. “I can take care of the expenses. I’m technically your Alpha now, so I don’t want your family worrying about paying your tuition.”

“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that, Shiro, but I _do_ want to help with the cost, at least a bit, just for my own pride. Is there still a café in the cadet longue? Maybe I could work as a barista while I go to school.”

“Sure, if you want to, Lance. I’ve heard it’s a good place to work!”

Lance spread more butter on his second helping of pancakes before cutting them into pieces.

“Hmm, the pancakes are so fluffy!” he said, not for the first time.

“Thanks! And again, great job on the bacon!”

Returning to the previous subject, Lance said, “Yeah, I guess I just want to do something more normal, like a barista job, after leaving Horotari. I feel like it’ll take a while to readjust.”

“That makes a lot of sense. So that being said, do you think you’ll want to start classes right away, or wait for the spring semester?”

“As soon as possible!” Lance said, smiling excitedly.

“We’ll get started on it, first thing Monday!”

It was well past 9 when they finally finished; with everything that had happened, the day had flown by. Shiro crossed his silverware, sticky with maple syrup, across his plate and sat back in his chair.

“So, if you don’t mind telling me… how did you end up at the Sanctuary?” he asked, a bit hesitantly.

Lance had been sitting cross-legged with Natsu’s head rested in his lap; at Shiro’s question, he looked up from the dog with a faraway look in his eyes.

“If you’re not comfortable-” Shiro began.

“It’s fine,” Lance said, finally meeting Shiro’s gaze. “I, um… When I had my first heat out of the blue and presented late as an Omega, after assuming I was a Beta for years, the Garrison told me I wouldn’t be able to continue my training as a fighter pilot, or any other kind of pilot, for that matter. Too dangerous, they said. If I wanted to remain enrolled, I would have to become a lab technician or do something in research. Not even a mechanic, because that would be ‘too much heavy lifting,’” he used air quotes and spoke mockingly, “'for a  _fragile_ little Omega.'”

“Well, I have a lot of connections at the Garrison. I’m sure we can amend that rule about Omegas not being allowed to fly. You’re just as strong as anyone else, Lance.”

“Thank you… So, after giving it some thought, I realized that doing anything at the Garrison other than training to become a pilot would be settling for less than my dream.”

“So you left…” Shiro said.

“Yep. I went back home to Cuba. It was nice to be back with my family, but I was sad, and just really aimless.” Lance rested his chin on the knuckles of one hand as the other continued to stroke Natsu’s neck. “And then the letter from the Sanctuary came in the mail. My family and I couldn’t believe it when we saw the envelope. Since I was the first Omega born in my family in the last two generations, and since my great-grandparents were Elites, I was given what was basically a full-ride scholarship.

“My family wouldn’t even entertain the idea of me going; sure, Horotari is a highly respected Omega finishing school among the Elites, but they, my parents especially, had many of your same opinions about all that. But…” he sighed, “then I got to thinking about how pretty much any other job I would be interested in, would be off limits to me. So, I decided that if I had to be an Omega, I would the best Omega I could be.”

“At least by society’s standards.”

Lance gave a soft smile in agreement. “My family was reluctant to let me go, but they eventually respected my choice. The instructors were strict, and all the lessons for domestic skills and etiquette were so long and boring. I didn’t have high hopes for my future. I came to accept the very real possibility that I would be stuck as someone's stay-at-home mate for the rest of my life, and that my days of adventure were behind me already at age 19.” Lance’s smile grew, so that his eyes squinted. “But then, two years later, _you_ showed up and changed all that.”

Some little voice in the back of Shiro’s head spoke up – softer, sweeter than his primal, Alpha instincts from earlier, when he had shown Lance his bedroom. All Shiro could think was _Kiss him._ It was like a scene in a movie: they were sitting at a table, having just finished a meal and a personal, meaningful conversation; the only source of light was the soft glow of the low-hanging light fixture above the kitchen table, as the sun had set hours ago. It would be the perfect way to end the wonderful, wild ride that was that day.

But the moment came and went quickly. After a few moments, Lance looked down to where Natsu’s head was still rested in his lap and booped her nose affectionately. He then stood up from the kitchen table, collecting their dishes; Shiro followed suit, trying to clear his head as they started washing up.

 _It was just a random thought; it didn’t mean anything,_ Shiro told himself. _I really do like Lance, but just as a friend and platonic Omega partner. And we just met – well, reunited – today, for Christ’s sake; I need to get a hold on myself._

Once the dishes were clean, they headed upstairs to get ready for bed. It was still early in the night, but they were both exhausted from their long day. Their respective bedrooms were not located near each other, so they parted ways at Shiro’s bedroom, near the top of the stairs.

“Sleep well, Lance. Let me know if you need anything, alright?”

“I will. Goodnight…” Lance said, before hugging Shiro, his head fitting perfectly underneath his chin. Pulling back after a moment, he headed down the hall to his room.

Shiro stood in the doorway of his bedroom, a small smile on his face, before turning in for the night. A wonderful, wide ride that day had been, indeed.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Your feedback continues to be so helpful and encouraging; I really appreciate it! <3


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, Friday, Shiro had to go back to work, after having taken two days off for his birthday and to visit the Horotari Sanctuary. As much as he liked his job at the Garrison, conducting research and training for future space missions, he wished he could just stay home and continue getting to know Lance. Fortunately, he didn’t work on weekends, so he would have plenty of time to relax with his new friend and housemate then. At least, he would be able to relax once the lunch with his parents scheduled for Saturday was out of the way.

To distract himself from dreading the upcoming meal while at work, Shiro focused on how he would go about readmitting Lance into the fighter pilot program at the Garrison: who to speak with, how to convince them. He figured that they could put together a few physical and mental exams to prove Lance’s fitness, despite his dynamic. And who knew? Maybe Omegas had strengths that had gone undiscovered because no one had given them a chance in the past; Lance could prove his fitness as a fighter pilot who just happened to be an Omega, not _in spite of_ being an Omega.

While these thoughts served as a welcome distraction from worrying about the lunch with his parents, Shiro knew that the more he thought through his plans for Lance’s education now, the smoother it would go later on.

Saturday arrived way too quickly. Shiro was begging time to slow down, but unsurprisingly, it didn’t listen to him. The two of them left Shiro’s house at 0830, as his parents’ town was about three hours away. It was their second road trip together in almost as many days, which was really the only positive Shiro could come up with at the moment.

“Dude, we’re not even bonded, and I can feel your anxiety pheromones,” Lance said about halfway through the trip. Indeed, Shiro had already begun to sweat. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Thank you, but no, I don’t think so,” Shiro said, checking the GPS screen for which way to turn at the stoplight, “I’m just glad you’re here. I think I’m primarily worried about how they’ll take the news that we’re just friends.”

“Is it really that big a deal?”

“The expectation is that we would have mated and bonded the day you arrived at my house; the average Elite Alpha would had made sure of that, regardless. The fact that we didn’t is really abnormal. They’re… not fans of abnormalities.”

“Hmph,” Lance muttered.

They talked off and on for the remainder of the trip, but Shiro could tell Lance was deep in thought, so he didn’t press him for conversation.

Soon after arriving in town, Shiro turned into his parents’ neighborhood. It was nothing short of extravagant; every house and front yard looked like something out of a real estate brochure, each likely costing a fortune. As they drove through the neighborhood towards the Shiroganes’ house, Lance stared, wide-eyed, out the window.

“Did you grow up here?” he asked, a bit awed.

“No, my parents moved to this house about four years ago. We moved around a lot as I was growing up; as they climbed the political ladders, they bought new homes, and new vacation houses, whenever they could.”

His parents’ house was coming up on the left; as they approached, the mechanized gate opened, so someone must have recognized Shiro’s car.

“‘Political ladders?’” Lance repeated. “Are they in office?”

“Oh, right, my mother is the city manager. Her becoming assistant city manager ten years ago is what made my family Elite; becoming city manager just cemented that even more.” Shiro pulled into his parents’ driveway, parked, then looked to Lance. “But don’t let her push you around just because she’s an Alpha government official, Lance.”

“I won’t as long as you don’t, either,” Lance said, teasingly.

Shiro smiled, rolled his eyes, and got out of the car, and Lance followed. As they walked up the long driveway to his parents’ grossly oversized house, Shiro briefly felt the brush of Lance’s left arm against his right before Lance took his hand and squeezed it. Shiro startled a bit at the sudden contact, but he found the gesture comforting, which was probably what Lance intended. Arriving at the front door, Shiro expected Lance to let go, but he didn’t. After ringing the doorbell, Shiro looked down at their joined hands; their eyes meeting, Shiro raised an eyebrow in question.

“I’ll explain later,” Lance said, just as the door opened.

“Takashi! So good to see you, darling!” Shiro’s mother, Hana, said, throwing her arms around his neck. As usual, she was a blur of vivid colors and strong-smelling perfume. “Your father will be down in just a moment.” Pulling back, she noticed Lance at his side and appraised him with a long look. “And who might _this_ be?” she said with a smirk.

Although she had directed the question to Shiro, Lance spoke up.

“My name is Lance, of the Cicerón family of Cuba, ma’am. It is an honor to meet you.”

Shiro expected him to shake her hand, but he didn’t, staying close to Shiro’s side with his eyes slightly lowered. _Is he shy because of her position as a city manager?_ he wondered.

“Takashi has told me so much about you,” Lance continued, looking to Shiro.

Before Shiro could realize what was happening, Lance had stepped forward and briefly rubbed his forehead under Shiro's chin. His soft, wavy hair sent unexpectedly pleasant tickles up Shiro’s neck, causing him to softly gasp. All the while, he kept his hand in Shiro’s.

“Oh, is that right?” Hana said, eying Shiro in surprise. “All good things, I hope!”

Shiro smiled tightly in response.

“There he is!” Shiro’s father, Kent, said as he came down the stairs.

Similar to his wife, he would never be caught in less than his best: a suit and tie, with his hair slicked back. Stepping off the last stair, he firmly shook Shiro’s hand; for a Beta, he had always had a very strong handshake.

“Hi, father,” Shiro said, smiling a bit more genuinely this time. While Shiro was often at odds with both of his parents, he and his father got along fairly well.

“Kent, this is Lance!” Hana said excitedly.

“How do you do, sir?” Lance said, his voice still quiet.

“Well, great!” Kent answered, resting his fists on his hips. “It’s not every day that I meet my son’s new mate. Certainly took you long enough to find someone, Takashi!”

Shiro noticed that Lance was meeting Kent’s eyes; _is it because Father isn’t a city manager like Mother and is less intimidating, or because he’s a Beta, not an Alpha?_ Shiro thought quickly. _He’s acting a lot like the other Omegas as the Sanctuary did…_

“Was it love at first sight?” Hana asked. “I’m sure he took one look at you in the lineup, Lance, and was smitten!”

Shiro opened his mouth, intending to explain his and Lance’s situation, but Lance started speaking first, so he let him continue.

“Takashi and I actually first met at the Galaxy Garrison before I presented as an Omega. During the one class we had together, I developed a huge crush on him, but never had the courage to ask him out.”

Shiro looked to Lance, alarmed.

Hana clutched her hands at her chest. “And then you were reunited at Horotari, how _sweet_! It’s like you were meant to be!”

“I feel truly fortunate.”

Turning, Lance stood on tiptoe to affectionately nuzzle his nose behind Shiro’s ear, producing a chorus of _awwws_ from Shiro’s parents.

Well, Shiro couldn’t possibly explain the truth _now_. What was Lance thinking?

The light tinkling of a bell filled the air.

“Ah, lunch is served.” Kent said. “Right this way!”

They led Shiro and Lance through the mansion toward the dining room; Shiro had been to this house twice in the past, so he still didn’t know his way around. It was only when they arrived at the elegant dining room table that Lance let go of Shiro’s hand for them to be seated; Shiro’s hand felt oddly cold without Lance’s touch.

The Shiroganes’ butler and chef, Reynard, entered.

“I am just putting the finishing touches on everything,” he said, “but I thought I would go ahead and take your wine orders while you wait.”

After receiving everyone’s requests, he left to retrieve the bottles from the Shiroganes’ extensive wine cellar. Shiro knew that it would be at least a few minutes before lunch was actually served, so he thought he may as well make use of the time.

“While we wait, I need to speak with Lance a moment,” Shiro said, getting up from the table.

Lance stood, as well, and the two left the dining room before Shiro’s parents could ask questions. Shiro wasn’t waiting any longer to have this discussion; Lance’s words and actions, while flattering and pleasant-feeling, had his mind spinning with confusion.

Once they were in the hallway outside of the dining room, Shiro paced the floor for a few seconds, trying to gather his thoughts, before stopping in front of Lance. Shiro wasn’t angry with him, just extremely confused; so, in order to avoid giving Lance the wrong idea, he took a deep breath and consciously relaxed his shoulders.

“Hi,” he said, licking his lips. “Er, what’s going on?”

Lance sighed, raking a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, I should have explained earlier… It’s just… I knew if we didn’t act affectionately towards each other, and if I didn’t have your scent on myself, they would get suspicious. So, I held your hand and tried to get your scent in any way I could, rubbing my head under your chin and all that.”

“Right… you didn’t already have my scent, because we’re not actually mates,” Shiro said, not understanding where Lance was headed. “We were going to tell them that.”

It was Lance’s turn to pace.

“I know, but on Thursday night, after your mom called you to invite us to lunch, I noticed how worried it made you. And then in the car today, you said you were nervous about how they would react to finding out that we’re not actually mates. I asked you if there was anything I could do to help you; you said that there wasn’t. But I figured that if I put on the lovey-dovey act, it might make things easier. I’m sorry, I should have told you earlier, but I kind of made up my mind as we were walking up to the house.”

Shiro was dumbstruck. “Lance…”

“Living with you these past three days has been wonderful,” Lance said, with a small smile. “I’ve loved every minute of it. So… even as much as we disagree with your parents morally, I… I really am thankful to them, only because they made it possible for us to meet again after I left the Garrison.”

Crossing his arms, Lance leaned against the wall. “I wanted to make a good first impression, and for them to be proud of your choice of mate, a-and for them to see what a good Alpha you are – or _would_ be. We’ll only be with them a little while; I don’t mind acting like a submissive, lovestruck Omega for an hour or two a couple times a year whenever we visit your parents, if it helps appease them and makes you feel better.” Lance's gaze fell, and he appeared a bit nervous. “But if this is making you uncomfortable, then I’ll stop, of course, and we can explain…”

“No, Lance, it’s… it’s fine,” Shiro said, putting a hand to Lance’s shoulder. “I didn’t understand before, but now that I do… this is really sweet of you. Thank you.”

“Well, after everything you’ve done for me, it’s the least I could do.” Lance’s posture straightened somewhat as he spoke, his normal confidence slowly returning to his features; along with it, mischief flashed in his eyes. “And besides, it’s not like flirting with you is a huge hardship.”

And with that, he opened the dining room door and went inside, leaving Shiro standing in the hallway, nearly as confused as he was before.

 

* * *

 

 “Ah, they return!” Hana commented as Shiro and Lance took their seats again. “Reynard just finished serving everything, so sit down while it’s still hot!”

“Now what were you two getting up to?” Kent asked, giving Shiro a knowing look. “You were only gone a couple minutes; I hope you would last longer than _that_ , Takashi!” He laughed heartily.

Shiro was still processing his and Lance’s hallway conversation and thus had not fully gotten into character. He gave his father a long look before realizing the meaning of his words.

“Oh, God, no, it was nothing like that! We just-”

“No need to explain, son,” Hana said, looking amused. “I remember being newly-mated; your father and I could hardly keep our hands off each other!”

Shiro looked to Lance, who looked like he was about to explode from keeping in laughter. Rolling his eyes, he thought, _this is going to be a long lunch._

 

* * *

 

“So, Lance, you were saying that you had also attended the Galaxy Garrison,” Kent said, cutting another piece of steak.

“Yes, sir,” Lance said with a small nod. “Before I presented as an Omega after one semester, I was training to become a fighter pilot.”

“A _fighter pilot?!_ ” Hana exclaimed in surprise. “Well, it’s a good thing you discovered your dynamic early on in your education before you wasted too much time.”

“Oh, indeed,” Kent said. “Omegas just aren’t cut out for flying, _especially_ not in combat. Why, just the other day, I was telling someone at a party-”

Shiro cleared his throat. “Actually, Father, Lance is planning on returning to the Garrison to continue his education as a fighter pilot.” He put down his fork and reached for Lance’s hand, smiling warmly at him.

Lance returned the smile, before looking to Hana and Kent a bit nervously. Shiro’s parents’ mouths gaped open, equally shocked.  

“You can’t be serious,” Hana said slowly.

“I am,” Shiro said, squaring his jaw as he resumed eating. “I am very proud of Lance and will be supporting him completely. I plan on convincing the Garrison to readmit him despite being an Omega.”

Kent picked up his wineglass as if to take a drink, but he merely held it, as if he had forgotten he was thirsty. “But what about when he gets pregnant?”

Shiro swallowed hard; he knew his parents would bring this up. There were few things they wanted more than grandchildren. Through their whole conversation, Lance had only been speaking when spoken to, but he now spoke up, his voice firm and steady.

“We can plan on getting pregnant around my class schedule, and if we wait until after I graduate, my work schedule. I will take paternity leave leading up to and after the birth and get plenty of rest.”

“He has already completed one semester,” Shiro added, “so he’ll only be at the Garrison for about another year and a half.”

Hana patted her lips with her cloth napkin. “Well, don’t wait _that_ long to get started! You’re at your prime, Takashi; much past age 25 and your potency will only decrease.”

“Mother!” Shiro groaned.

Obviously in attempt to steer the conversation away from that particular topic, Lance said, “And once we have our first pup or litter, Takashi and I will arrange our work schedules so that at least one of us will be at home before they are old enough to go to school.”

 _Wow,_ Shiro thought, raising his eyebrows slightly, _it actually sounds like he’s thought this through…_ Lance must have remembered Shiro saying he didn’t believe in having hired help; he was glad they were on the same page.

“That’s right,” he said, “we won’t be hiring a nanny.”

Hana and Kent exchanged meaningful looks, as if they were having a silent discussion. Pressing his lips together, Kent eventually nodded, and Hana put on a resigned look.

“Well…” she said, absentmindedly fixing her permed hair like a wet hen, “while your father and I don’t exactly understand, we can tell you have thought this through, and so we will be supportive. Kent and I would be happy to pay for one semester, as a gesture of goodwill.”

Eyes widening in surprise, Shiro was about to express his gratitude, but he suddenly felt Lance bristle beside him. Glancing his way, he saw a certain look in Lance’s eye that made him think, _looks like docile-Omega-Lance has left the building._

“I do appreciate that,” Lance said slowly, as if carefully choosing his words. “However, I must ask… Do you actually believe in me and my capabilities, or do you just pity me? I don’t need charity.”

Shiro felt his stomach turn into a rock. _Oh, here it comes…_ he thought, fully expecting his parents to take offence.

Instead, however, they took one look at each other and burst out laughing, for at least half a minute. Lance didn’t look pleased at this but waited patiently for an explanation.

“Oh, but this one has some pluck!” Kent said, still chuckling. “Did they teach you that at Horotari?”

“Goodness me, well…” Hana daubed her eyes, fixing her mascara. She took a deep breath, as if to stifle more giggles. “Lance, we’ve never met an Omega like you. One must admire courage. If you have the guts to stand up to _us_ like that, surely you can become a fine fighter pilot.”

Kent reached over and playfully shoved Shiro. “No wonder you fell for him. I’ve never seen you more enamored, son.”

Shiro chuckled, hoping his awkwardness wasn’t noticeable. _Enamored,_ the word repeated in his mind before he brushed it away.

Lance gave the couple a real smile for the first time. “Thank you very much, Mr. and Mrs. Shirogane.”

“Yes; that’s very kind of you, Mother and Father.”

His whole life, Shiro’s parents had showered him with gifts, many of them empty and thoughtless as their wealth grew. Today, they not only given Lance a monetary gift, but also their vote of confidence, which he very much needed. Shiro had never received a better gift from them.

 

* * *

 

As they finished lunch, the conversation turned less personal – much to Shiro’s relief – and more natural, enabling Shiro and Lance to tone down the romantic act for a while. It wasn’t long before Hana and Kent had warmed up to Lance, and while he still kept up his act as a traditionally-trained Omega, he let his real personality shine through a bit. Shiro knew that he and Lance would probably never be very close with his parents, but he was glad to see that they could at least get along.

When Shiro and Lance settled into Shiro’s car, they simultaneously let go of their breaths, then looked at each other and laughed, both to release the long pent-up tension and just in the face of the whole ridiculous situation.

The three-hour drive home flew by. Arriving at Shiro’s house, they were both tired, so they decided to order pizza as a treat after the long day. Propped up on the couch, they made short-work of it, eating four slices each, while watching an old Western movie that was rerunning that night.

During a commercial break, Lance turned the volume down and looked Shiro dead in the eye.

“So… I have a question, Shiro,” he said in the most serious voice that Shiro had ever heard from him.

“Yes?” he asked, suddenly alert.

Shiro’s mind started churning through a myriad of potential topics and questions he had been asking of himself recently: w _here are we? Where are we headed?_ _Is this going well? Do you still only like me as a friend?_

“Your name is Takashi, huh?”

“S-shut up!” Shiro laughed, swatting the top of Lance’s head with his empty paper plate, which Lance swiftly returned with his own paper plate.  

Then they were on their feet, chasing each other around the couch to get better angles with which to swat each other with their plates. It was a few minutes before they noticed that the movie had come back on, collapsing back onto the couch, their sides sore from laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Your feedback means the world to me! <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From here on out, all VLD alien characters mentioned by name are just normal humans. Just wanted to make that clear :P

After saying goodnight to Lance, Shiro headed to his room and sat down on his bed. He held his phone up to his ear, the number from his speed-dial already ringing.

“Hey, Sam, you have a minute?” he asked.

“Shiro!” Sam said, his voice as chipper as ever. “Of course, I do!”

After the Kerberos mission, Shiro had stayed in touch with Sam and Matt Holt, and had also gotten to know Sam’s wife, Colleen, and their daughter, Katie, who was now a first-year cadet at the Garrison specializing in information technology. The Holts had kind of adopted Shiro, and Sam had become a mentor figure for him. So, it only made sense that Shiro went to him for advice for the unusual situation he had found himself in.

“Happy birthday, by the way!” Sam continued. Shiro could hear the creak of the Holt family’s screened-in back porch door. “How was your trip to Horotari last week? Was it as bad as you were dreading?”

Shiro scratched the back of his head. “Well, it was definitely weird, no surprise there. But it wasn’t all bad. I actually… met someone.” A grin tugged at his lips, but before Sam could get the wrong idea – he shared Shiro’s opinions about the Elite – Shiro hurriedly continued, “But it’s not like _that_ , we’re just friends. I found Lance Cicerón there at the Sanctuary; do you remember him?”

“Afraid not,” Sam replied. “He was at the Garrison at some point, I take it?”

As he wasn’t an instructor, Sam didn’t interact with the cadets at the Garrison very much, but he was occasionally asked to be a guest speaker.

“He started out here a few years ago in the fighter pilot program,” Shiro said, “but he had to stop after one semester when he presented as an Omega out of the blue. When I saw him among the other Omegas at the Sanctuary, we started talking and got along really well, so I figured that I’d put my parents’ money to good use and bring Lance home with me. We’re living together as housemates, although I am technically his Alpha. I’d like to help him pursue his dream of becoming a fighter pilot.”

Shiro could just picture Sam’s eyebrows shooting upwards in surprise.

“Wow! That’s certainly… ambitious of you, Shiro.”

“I know, I know, it’s not going to be a walk in the park, getting an Omega into the fighter pilot program, but Lance is so passionate. We had one class together, and I could tell he was fighter pilot material. He at least deserves a chance.”

“Well, you obviously really care about him. I know you, Shiro; you can do anything you put your mind to. What can I do to help?”

Falling backwards onto his bed, Shiro smiled; he knew he could count on Sam.

“For right now at least, I could just use your advice. I know that we can’t just waltz into the admissions office and sign him up. Who do you think I should talk to, to you know, help make our case?”

“Hmm…” Sam paused a moment to think. “I know there are some other faculty and staff members who are sympathetic to Omegas and treat them fairly. In fact, just a few days ago, Katie was telling Colleen and me about Dr. Altea; she’s been a big help as Katie figures out her identity. She oversees the health of all cadets, so her opinion would definitely be trusted by the admissions board.”

“Great! We’ll have to talk to her. She could put together a special health exam for Lance, and maybe some kind of assessment to prove his mental and emotional fitness, as well.”

“Right, I know a lot people doubt Omegas because they’re stereotypically more emotional.”

“Do you think we would need to prove Lance’s physical strength and abilities, too? He mentioned that one of the main reasons Omegas aren’t allowed to become fighter pilots is because they are believed to be too weak to handle G-forces and antigravity.”

“Ooh, good thinking. I don’t really know anyone in physical education, do you?”

“I remember Coach Smythe from when I was a cadet; I think I’ve seen him around recently. He was always really nice – just a genuinely good guy – so I would guess that he would be supportive of Omega rights. No harm in asking.” Shiro looked at his phone screen to check the time. “Well, anyway, it’s getting late. Thanks for brainstorming with me, Sam; I’ll let you know how it all goes.”

“Of course. I’m not busy tomorrow; if you and Lance aren't doing anything, we could meet up and continue making plans, maybe even invite Dr. Altea and Coach Smythe, if they’re available!”

“That would be great, Sam, thank you, but you don’t have to give up your Sunday to do this.”

“I want to help, Shiro. Want to meet at my office, say around 1000?”

Shiro couldn’t help but chuckle at Sam’s enthusiasm. “Sounds good; Lance and I will see you then!” Before hanging up, Shiro remembered something else he was meaning to ask. “Oh, one more thing! Matt mentioned there was a big robotics competition this week; how did that go?”

“It was great! Katie and Hunk came in second nationwide! They got a huge trophy and are going to be mentioned in the morning announcements on Monday. They’re so excited!”

“Aw, that’s great to hear, Sam; I know you and Colleen must be so proud.”

“We are; they worked so hard!”

“Well, I’ll let you go. See you tomorrow!”

“Right!”

Shiro ended the call. After plugging in his phone to charge, he wrote a quick email to Dr. Altea and Coach Smythe, informing them about the situation. He knew that his meeting with Sam in the morning would be very short notice to give them; he mentioned it as an option, but also wrote that he and Lance would be more than happy to meet with them at their earliest convenience. Whispering a hopeful prayer, he tapped the “send” button.

As he got ready for bed, he looked forward to the day to come and thought, not for the first time, how fortunate he was to have Sam for a friend. 

 

* * *

  

Lance was over the moon when he heard the news at breakfast the next morning. He practically inhaled the cereal he had poured for himself in an effort to be ready to go sooner.

“It’s only 0830, Lance; the drive to the Garrison only takes 10 minutes, so you still have plenty of time before it’s time to go!” Shiro said with a laugh as he made an omelet for himself.

“Still!” he said, depositing his cereal bowl and spoon in the sink before dashing back upstairs to shower and get dressed.

Shiro couldn’t blame him for being excited; this was a huge opportunity for him. He just hoped that it would be worth it in the end.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note, I don’t know much about space travel or astronaut training apart from some basic research that I did specifically for this chapter. I’m open to making small corrections if you would like to suggest them, but Voltron is science fiction, after all, so there is some suspension of disbelief involved :)

“Lance, I’d like you to meet my good friend, Commander Sam Holt,” Shiro said as the two of them entered Sam’s office.

Unlike when Lance had met Shiro’s parents, Lance immediately went to shake Sam’s hand, which Sam warmly returned.

“It’s a huge honor to meet you, Commander Holt.”

“I’ve heard a lot of good things about you, young man. I’m looking forward to having you on our team again.”

“Thank you; that means a lot coming from you, sir.”

Shiro glanced over the mess that was Sam’s worktable: a sea of papers; books laid out flat, or closed and dog-eared; and, of course, his trusty, ancient computer that was only just able to handle all of Sam’s programs.

“How do you ever find anything in here?” Shiro asked. He and Matt regularly teased Sam about his utter lack of organization.

“Oh, I have a system!”

Suddenly, there was a new voice in the room. The three men looked toward the doorway. 

“Excuse me, but is Takashi Shirogane here?”

It was Dr. Altea. Shiro was surprised to see her, especially after the short notice he had given in his email.

“Right here, hi, Dr. Altea,” Shiro said, raising a hand in greeting. “Please, call me Shiro.”

Stepping into the room, the young doctor smiled warmly. “Well, then, please call me Allura. I received your email last night and I was intrigued, so I thought I would stop by!” Turning to Sam, she said, “Good to see you, Commander Holt. And you’re Lance Cicerón, I take it?” As they shook hands, she looked at him with a puzzled expression. “You look familiar… Didn’t you flirt with me once a few years ago, back when I was doing my residency at the Garrison clinic?”

Lance flushed, looking from her to Shiro and back to her.

“I-it’s possible!” he laughed, a bit nervously. “Er, sorry…”

Shiro bit his lip, hoping that they hadn’t just lost her support because of something in the past.

But Allura laughed, light and easy. “Oh, it’s nothing, you were very sweet. If I remember correctly, though, you were a Beta at the time of that yearly physical, but I take it you were actually a pre-presented Omega?”

“That's right,” Lance said with a nod. “My first heat came, really intensely, during exam week of the fall semester. Dr. Ryner prescribed me some medicine to help me through it.”

“Ah, yes, I shadowed her during residency before she retired,” Allura said, her eyes brightening.

“She helped me understand what was going on and was really kind, but that heat was still awful.” Lance shuddered at the memory.

“You poor thing! And then you were forced to leave your program. I feel terrible about the way the Garrison treats Omegas…”

“But we’re going to rectify that and bring you back!” Sam chimed in.

“Or at least try to, with your help,” Shiro said. “And hopefully a few others…”

Allura pulled out her phone and quickly checked it. “Oh, speaking of which, I noticed that you also sent that email to Coach Smythe; he’s just replied a few minutes ago that he’s on his way! I figured Coran would want to help out.”

“Nice!” Shiro said, pumping a fist in the air. “I didn’t expect you all to be available to meet right away, but I’m glad it worked out.”

“While we wait for him,” Allura said, “I can go ahead and perform a physical to get an appraisal of Lance’s overall health. I’ll look at all the basic requirements for the fighter pilot program, adjusting them slightly in light of his dynamic, of course. The clinic’s closed today, but I have the keys.”

“Is it possible for you to check on his mental health, as well? I’m sure the admissions board will need some convincing as far as that goes, with all the Omega stereotypes there are.”

Allura nodded. “I know of a few psychology assessments; they’re in one of my filing cabinets. Lance, if you’d like to come with me?”

“Sure,” Lance said, standing up from where he had been leaning against a worktable.

“Sam and I will stay here until Coran arrives,” Shiro said as the two headed for the door. “If we’re not here when you return, we’ll probably be in the gymnasium, or the centrifuge, depending on what Coran wants to do.”

“Okay, see you in a bit!” Lance called over his shoulder. 

 

* * *

 

About an hour later, Lance and Allura returned from the clinic and found Shiro and Sam in the centrifuge observation deck. Coach Coran Smythe had since joined them.

“Ah, you must be Lance!” he said cheerily the moment Lance entered the small room. “Pleasure to meet you, lad!”

“Yes, hi!” Lance said with a big grin as Coran gave him a hearty handshake.

“You must’ve been in someone else’s Basics of Flight simulation class during your one semester at the Garrison, since I don’t remember ever having you.”

“Right, I was in Iverson’s class.” 

Coran winced. “Oooh, sorry to hear that.”

“Matt and Katie complain about him all the time,” Sam said, scratching his chin. “He’s… certainly not the Garrison’s friendliest instructor.”

“No, but I did learn a lot from him,” Lance said.

“Well, a lot of good people obviously care about and believe in you,” Coran said as he crossed his arms, “and I was honored when I got the email from Shiro here. We’ll get you back in the fighter pilot program in no time!”

“Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

“I’ll just get the centrifuge ready; just a sec!”

“How did the physical go?” Shiro asked, turning to Allura.

“He looks great,” she said. Catching Lance’s sly grin, she scoffed, rolled her eyes, and quickly amended with a laugh, “His _health_ is great! All his vitals are good, and he’s kept in shape, physically and mentally, ever since leaving the Garrison.”

“Heck, yeah! Not too bad for an Omega!” Lance said, proudly flexing a sinewy arm.

Shiro smiled at their silly interaction; he had forgotten how flirty Lance had been during the class they had been in together. He couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of Allura; the feeling came out of nowhere and was a little startling.

He didn’t have too much time to process that, though. After a few moments of calibrating the centrifuge, Coran looked up from the control dashboard and waved Lance over.

“We’re ready to go!” he said, giving a thumbs-up.

“This is so exciting!” Allura said as everyone gathered closer to the observation deck windows.

"Just remember, NASA calls centrifuges 'vomit comets,' so there is no shame in getting sick!" Sam said with a chuckle.

“Now, Lance, you remember how this works, right?” Coran asked, opening the door for him.

Stepping up to the centrifuge doorway, Lance merely nodded. His shoulders had tensed up and his arms were tightly folded across his chest as he stared at the door. Noticing this, Shiro came to stand beside him and lightly draped an arm across his shoulders.

“Alright?” he said softly.

“It’s just… this will be my first astronautics exercise ever since presenting,” Lance said, looking up at Shiro. “Up until now, we’ve been assuming I’m still fit to fly. But what if becoming an Omega really changed me more than I realized, and I can’t handle it anymore…?”

“I can imagine how you must be feeling, Lance; it makes sense to be nervous right now, it really does. But there’s only one way to find out for sure.” He gestured toward the centrifuge door. “You have what it takes; I can see it in you.”

Looking from the door to Shiro, Lance squared his shoulders and stood up a bit taller. Without another word, he took a deep breath and stepped forward into the short tunnel that descended into the cockpit. Shiro lowered and secured the door behind him.

As Coran announced into the intercom for Lance to hear with everyone else, the centrifuge test would need to last about ten minutes; afterward, Lance’s vitals would be taken again and be compared with his vitals from earlier to see how his body would react to the high levels of acceleration and g-forces that pilots typically experience. The centrifuge slowly roared to life. Watching it spin, Shiro remembered how disconcerting it felt to be on the inside; it may as well have been a completely separate world on the other side of that door.

The ten minutes passed slowly. Shiro, Coran, and Sam eventually all sat down in chairs throughout the observation deck; Allura briefly left to fetch her equipment from the clinic so she would be ready to retake Lance’s vitals. They chatted occasionally, but for the most part, the room was silent except for the whir coming from the enormous machine beyond the glass wall in front of them. Everyone was hoping the best for Lance, and a nervous, yet excited tension filled the room.

As the timer counted closer and closer down to zero, Coran stood and approached the dashboard, tapping buttons with expert speed. The centrifuge came to a halt, but so gradually that the change was hardly perceptible.

“How’re ya feeling, Lance?” Coran called into the intercom.

“Alright,” Lance’s voice came from the other end. Shiro couldn’t detect any particular tone, whether positive or negative.

When the centrifuge came to a complete stop, Shiro opened the door and extended a hand down into the cockpit. Lance grabbed on, and he helped him out. Shiro looked him over thoroughly from head to toe, checking for even the least sign of injury; the centrifuge was generally very safe, but Shiro had to make sure. In his opinion, Lance looked like his normal self, though a bit drained.

“How was it?” he asked as he steadied Lance on solid ground. His head must have been spinning.

Lance offered a shaky smile. “Pretty good.”

“Well done in there!” Sam said, patting him on the back. “It hard to last ten minutes, especially being out of practice!”

“Alright, Lance, please be seated,” Allura said, “I need to take your vitals as quickly as possible before your body returns to its normal state.”

Even though Lance had by now caught his balance, Shiro still shadowed him, ensuring he made it to his chair. Allura’s equipment was ready to go, and she mentioned each vital sign as she monitored it: body temperature, pulse rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure. After marking down figure each in her chart, she mumbled through some mental math and made more notes. When she looked up, she was smiling.

“Everything checks out,” she said. “Your levels are only slightly elevated, Lance, nothing near what would be considered dangerous.” She flipped open a book to a bookmarked page, quickly skimmed it, and looked back up. “According to most studies, Omegas’ pulse and respiration rates and blood pressure would normally skyrocket under the kind of force experienced in a centrifuge, but so many of those are outdated and under-researched, and it would appear that your Omega biology has not affected you too much. This is fascinating…” As she jotted something down, she asked, “How did you feel while inside the centrifuge?”

Lance thought over her question before saying, “It took a few minutes to adjust, but I think what really helped was imagining that was I was surfing.”

“Surfing? Really?” Coran said, raising his eyebrows.

“Yeah. Growing up in Cuba, I learned how to swim and surf not long after learning how to walk. The ocean has always been a constant in my life, and I find a lot of comfort and peace in it. The first time I surfed after coming home from the Garrison, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between surfing and flying a spacecraft:” he stood up and mimed being on a surf board to demonstrate what he was saying, “hydrodynamic forces work a lot like aerodynamic forces, and you have to constantly shift your center of gravity to match your surroundings. Imagining that I was surfing also helped keep me relaxed.”

“That’s amazing that you were able to apply one skill to another like that, Lance,” Shiro said, before looking to everyone else in the room. “Well, guys, do you think we’re ready to face the admissions board?”

“I would definitely give my approval,” Allura said, holding up her notes on Lance’s health.

“He did great in the centrifuge, so I don’t see why not!” Coran said.

“Er, I didn’t perform any tests on Lance today,” Sam said, chuckling, “but I can definitely vouch for him!”

“Thank you so much for coming this afternoon, and on such short notice,” Shiro said, clasping his hands together. “We’ve formed this little team because of unfortunate, unfair circumstances, but I think it just goes to show that you can find friends in unlikely places. I feel like today has been history in the making; not only are we helping Lance return to the Garrison, but we are potentially also enabling future Omegas to follow their own dreams, too.”

To Shiro’s surprise, everyone applauded his little speech; Sam even whooped a bit, making Shiro laugh. Lance smiled at him, though it wasn’t one of his exuberant smiles that lit up his whole face; he appeared mellow and pensive. No one else seemed to notice though.

Coran brought out a blank piece of paper, which he, Allura, and Sam signed their names below a statement, dictated by Shiro, that designated their support of Lance being readmitted into the fighter pilot program. Shiro folded up their little petition and stored it safely in his pocket. They all got packed up and ready to leave, the atmosphere of the room light from having come to the end of a successful day. As they headed out the door of the centrifuge observation deck, Shiro told them that he would get an appointment with the admissions board as soon as possible and he would let them know the outcome.

“I’ll be there if I’m not busy at the clinic,” Allura said as they walked down the hallway toward the front lobby. “I know we have our petition, but it could be helpful to have support there in person, too.”

“Same here!” Coran said. “I can always grab a substitute instructor if I have a class going on.”

“My schedule is pretty flexible,” Sam said. “I’d love to be there for the meeting, too.”

“We’d really appreciate that,” Lance said. “Thank you!”

Lance sounded sincere, and Shiro knew he really was thankful for their help, but there was still that odd look on his face… 

 

* * *

 

They stopped by Sam’s office to make copies of Coran and Allura’s notes about Lance so that they would have them for the admissions board meeting. The five of them walked out to the parking lot together and said their goodbyes before heading toward their respective cars. Shiro felt like they had been there for most of the day, but the sun was still high in the sky.

“Hey, are you feeling alright?” Shiro asked Lance as they pulled out of the Garrison parking lot. “You had this look on your face that I couldn’t quite read.”

“Yeah, I guess I’m just tired…” Lance said, looking out the window. “And towards the end there, I had a thought nagging me in the back of my mind, but I can’t put my finger on it… I feel like it’s important, though.”

“Ah, yeah, that’s not a good feeling to have. Let me know if you need to think out loud, you know, to help you process your thoughts.”

“Thanks, although I think when we get home, I think I’m just going to hang out in my room and rest.”

“Of course, you must be exhausted.” 

Shiro was a little disappointed to hear that; they had hung out together every evening ever since Lance had moved in, and he had always looked forward to that. But Lance had been through a lot that day – physically, mentally, and emotionally – and Shiro didn’t want to push him.

When they got home, the two of them parted ways. Realizing how mentally tired he was, as well, Shiro laid down on the couch for a nap and Natsu immediately joined him, lying curled in a big, furry ball behind his legs. There were still several details to work out to get Lance back into the Garrison, but they had made a lot of progress that day. As Shiro fell asleep, Lance drifted in and out of his thoughts, and into his dreams.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, they contacted the Garrison, and the admissions appointment was scheduled for that coming Wednesday. Both Shiro and Lance were surprised at how quickly the office was able to fit them in.

“The secretary didn’t seem to remember my name from when I was there before, so that’s good,” Lance said once he had ended the call. He had used Shiro’s phone – his belongings, including his own phone, were still on their way from Cuba – and he handed it back to him. “Do you think anyone will notice?”

“It’s a possibility,” Shiro said, attaching a leash to Natsu’s collar. They were about to go for a walk together; the call had made them both a bit nervous, and they could all use the fresh air.  

“Your name is just on a list right now,” Shiro continued. “There are hundreds of cadets every year, and you were only there for a short time, so I tend to doubt they’d remember you by your name alone. The secretary said he would email you the application link; once you fill that out with your information, the fact that you’re an Omega will likely put up a few red flags, and they’ll realize who you are.”

Lance stepped into his flipflops on the front doormat. “I feel like I’m a spy trying to hack into an organization, or something else illegal…” he said, sounding a bit uneasey.

“This is perfectly legal, Lance. You have every right to pursue an education and follow your dreams,” Shiro said as they walked outside, Natsu happily leading the way through the front yard. “I know I just said ‘red flags,’ but I didn’t mean that to sound like you’ll get in trouble or something. It’s just that when we go into the admissions meeting for the interview, they’re already going to know the situation and will likely be ready to tell you ‘no’ right off that bat.”

“But _we’ll_ be ready to put up a fight,” Lance said, tossing a smile over his shoulder to Shiro as he walked on ahead.

Following after him, Shiro smiled, happy to see Lance looking more confident again. Lance hadn’t brought up the “nagging thought” he had had mentioned Sunday; Shiro wondered if it was still on his mind.

 

* * *

 

Monday and Tuesday passed slowly; Shiro worked every day, while Lance hung out at the house with Natsu and explored the nearby downtown area. Lance was doing his best to be patient, but Shiro could tell he was getting restless as they waited for Wednesday to arrive.

After visiting the local tailor, Shiro helped Lance put together a nice outfit for the interview. His suit jacket fit him like a glove, with a subtle blue plaid pattern; paired with a nice pair of jeans, the outfit had a stylish casual look. Shiro planned on wearing a simple, black sportscoat and slacks with a dark purple, crisp Oxford shirt.

Tuesday night, Lance was unusually quiet during their dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. He looked distant, like he was not completely present in the room. Even Natsu's most endearing puppy-dog eyes from beneath the table didn’t improve his mood. Halfway through their meal, Shiro set down his fork and finally broke the silence.

“Hey,” he said. Lance slowly brought his eyes up to meet Shiro’s, before dropping back down again. “You have so many people behind you, Lance, cheering you on. Sam and his family, Allura, Coran, your family back in Cuba, and,” he chuckled softly in spite of himself, “even my parents, of all people. And regardless of what happens tomorrow – even if they see all of our evidence and they still refuse – we’re not going to stop fighting, alright?”

Lance nodded faintly, swallowing hard.

“Why me?” he asked hesitantly. “You all hardly know me, and yet, you…” he trailed off.

“Because… you’re worth fighting for, Lance; we may have just recently met you, but it doesn’t take long to see that. So, don’t you start doubting yourself, or…” Shiro’s voice took on a comically ominous tone, “you’ll have a big, loving, supportive mob of people coming after you!”

Lance laughed – a real laugh, from his belly – for the first time in days. Tears came to his eyes, either from the laughter, or from the release of tension and anxiety, or a combination. As he got up from the kitchen table to fetch the tissue box for Lance, Shiro was glad he had been able to cheer his friend up, even temporarily, as the menacing shadow of their meeting tomorrow hung over them.

Only a little bit longer… 

 

* * *

 

The meeting with the admissions board was forty-five minutes away. Shiro and Lance met Sam, Allura, and Coran in Sam’s office to wait together.

Shiro looked at Lance with a broad smile; they were so close now! But Lance didn’t return the smile. He looked thoughtful, and a bit concerned; it was that same uncertain expression Shiro had noticed on Sunday, although now Lance seemed to have put something together in his mind.

The five of them stood around chatting for a few minutes before Lance cleared his throat, calling everyone’s attention.

“Thank you for your help and support, everyone,” Lance said, solemnly meeting each person’s eyes in turn. “It really means the world to me. But… I’ve been thinking: all of you support me, and other Omegas, achieving better things, not only here at the Garrison, but in society, too. That means that we’re all biased; the admissions board is going to see that. I’ve been thinking about this over the last few days, and I’ve found a solution… we need someone with an unbiased opinion, without strong leanings for or against Omegas, to confirm what you all say in order to be taken seriously.”

No one said anything to that for several moments, but they all knew he was right. It was hard to admit, but their biases would blow holes in their argument; the admissions board could easily dismiss them. Shiro’s brow furrowed; _most people have strong opinions on just about everything,_ he thought, _there aren’t many people who are impartial._

“Where are we going to find someone like that before the meeting?” Sam said, his brows knitted together with worry.

Coran suddenly snapped his fingers, causing everyone to startle. “Er, sorry,” he said, “but I think I know just the person we need! Follow me!”

And then he was out the door. The other four quickly exchanged glances before running after him.

“Coran, who is-?” Allura started.

“No time to talk!”

The group dashed through several hallways; they were in the research wing of the Garrison, which was solely occupied by adults, unlike the academy section, where fun-loving, young cadets running through the halls was a more common sight. They received quite a few confused stares, but as the group was comprised mostly of respected faculty and staff, no one stopped them.

Coran eventually led them into the combat gym on the other side of the Garrison campus. There weren’t any classes going on at the time, so the large room was empty except for a tall, sturdily-built woman in her mid-fifties standing at the far end, tapping away at a large tablet on the wall, the screen arrayed with silhouettes of fighting poses of various styles.

“Instructor Dayak, Instructor Dayak!” Coran called as the five of them burst into the gym. “We need to speak with you!”

The woman, who Shiro took to be Instructor Dayak, glanced over her shoulder at the intruders, her face scrunched in annoyance. With a swipe of her hand, she closed the file she had been working on and turned to face them.

“Yes?” she said gruffly. “Well, out with it, Smythe; some of us actually work around here.”

Followed by the other four, Coran approached her, but he had to catch his breath before he could talk. Dayak watched him huff and puff, doubled over with his hands on his knees, with a disdainful look.

“What kind of coach are you, that you’re already out of breath?” she demanded.

“Well, I did just run all the way from the research wing, and we have a rather important deadline but that’s not important right now!” Coran said, straightening back up. He turned to Shiro, “Do you have Allura’s and my records?”

“Of course,” Shiro said, hastily handing him the binder he had the notes organized in.

“Instructor Dayak, I need you to review these files,” Coran said, handing them over. “This is very important. We’re, er, doing some research, inventing hypothetical individuals in different scenarios, and we’re interviewing people to see what they think. If this person described in these notes was real, would you think they would be well-suited for becoming a pilot?”

Dayak gave Coran a long, hard look before looking down her long nose at the papers he had handed her. She flipped through them, her large, owlish eyes darting back and forth.

“This person seems to meet all the qualifications,” she said mildly. “I don’t see why not.”

“And what if I told you this person was an Omega?” Coran asked, inquisitively propping his chin up on his fist.

Shiro, Lance, Allura, and Sam quietly gasped in union at Coran’s boldness. They waited anxiously for Dayak’s response. She narrowed her eyes for a moment, glanced back down at the medical notes, and pressed her lips together in a tight line.

Cocking her head to one side, she said, “As long as they can fly a craft and keep their head on straight, I don’t much care what the person’s dynamic is.”

Shiro tried not to laugh as he watched Coran puff up his chest and cross his arms victoriously; all Shiro could think of was a balloon being filled with helium.

“ _And_ what if I told you this person isn’t fictional but is in fact standing right here!” He dramatically gestured to Lance, who slowly brought up a hand to wave at her.

Dayak eyed Lance briefly, before merely shrugging. “He’s a puny thing, but if these medical records are accurate, he’s healthy. If he’s got the guts for it, then sure, he could probably become a pilot.”

“Aha!” Coran exclaimed with glee, then looked a bit disappointed, as if he had hoped to get more of a reaction out of Dayak. He, a bit belatedly, returned his posture back to normal and showed her their petition. “Would you mind signing your name here, to support Lance being admitted to the fighter pilot program?”

Turning briefly, Dayak picked up a pen from her desk. She grabbed Coran by his left shoulder, effortlessly spun him around, held the petition flat against his back, and signed with a rigid flourish.

“Is that all you wanted?” she demanded, turning Coran back around to face her.

“Yes, quite. Thank you!” he said, offering her a winning smile, apparently not too taken aback by her strong-arming him.

Dayak glanced at the other four, as if expecting something from them; unsettled by her gaze, they all said hasty “thank yous.” The group left the combat gym as soon as possible, and not just because they were short on time.

 

* * *

 

Arriving at the administrative office, they still had about ten minutes before the meeting with the admissions board. That gave them just enough time to catch their breaths from running halfway across the Garrison campus again. They all sat down in the lobby of the office, while Lance checked in and let them know he was there for his interview; the secretary looked a bit confused at Lance’s entourage but didn’t ask any questions.

Staring at a clock, as it turns out, doesn’t in fact make time go faster, but Shiro still found his eyes returning to the wall-clock several times per minute. Coran, Sam, and Allura were making conversation, but he was only half listening. Looking to his left, Shiro saw that Lance appeared to be much more at ease than he had been.

“Feeling better?” he asked.

“Yeah, a bit,” Lance replied. “I really think Instructor Dayak’s unbiased opinion will help our case.”

“Definitely! That was a great idea you had.”

Lance fidgeted in his seat. “It’s so weird to be back here. I mean, not the admin office, but just the Garrison itself.”

“Well, with any luck, you’ll be seeing a lot more of the Garrison soon.”

“Thanks, I hope-”

Lance was interrupted by the sound of his name being called by a booming voice. The heads of the five friends darted upward towards the source: the doorway on the far side of the room that led, presumably, to the various administrative offices. There stood Commander Iverson and Professor Montgomery. Lance and Shiro quickly stood, soon followed by the other three.

“Ah, Cicerón, I thought the name on the application looked familiar,” Iverson said, giving Lance a once-over with his one good eye.

“Yes. Good to see you again, sir,” Lance said, in what Shiro assumed was just a formality.

Shiro was disheartened to find that Iverson was going to be conducting the interview. He wasn’t going to be the only interviewer, though.

“Hello, Lance, I don’t believe we’ve met,” Professor Montgomery said, extending his hand, which Lance shook firmly. “My name is Daniel Montgomery; I am a professor here. I’m looking forward to chatting with you.”

Shiro had never been in any of Montgomery’s classes nor had worked with him, as he was a relatively recent hire at the Garrison, but Shiro had heard good things about him.

At the man’s kind tone and expression, Lance smiled. “Thank you, Professor Montgomery; I am, too.”

“What’re _you_ all doing here?” Iverson asked, looking to Shiro, Sam, Allura, and Coran who, so far, hadn’t said anything.

“They’re my friends,” Lance said, “they came to support me. Er, would they be allowed to come with me into the interview, by chance?” He only had to see the twitch of Iverson’s brow before he amended, “At the very least, may Shiro come with me? He’s… well…”

Shiro instantly recognized Lance’s dilemma. He had been with Lance every step of the way thus far in getting him back into the Garrison, so it would only be appropriate for him to be there now, as well. However, Lance’s goal was to prove himself as being fighter pilot material; being seen as dependent and insecure would not help with that image.

 _I know he’s strong enough to do this on his own_ , _but I still want to be there for him_ , Shiro thought as he stepped forward and, with only a slight hesitation, laced his fingers with Lance’s.

“I’m his Alpha. We’re in this together.”

Lance smiled appreciatively at him.  

“Alright, right this way, then,” Professor Montgomery said, gesturing to the doorway.

Together, Shiro and Lance looked to their friends, who smiled supportively, silently cheering them on, before heading into the interview.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Your kudos and comments keep me going! :)


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Season 7 Release Day! Well, it was yesterday, but still! I was not expecting that **minor spoiler** Iverson would turn out to be a pretty nice person. Even so, I will not be changing his personality for this fic, since, in this AU, he hasn’t had any reason to shed his gruff exterior. Also yay for more screen time for Sam, and seeing his and Shiro’s friendship! Season 7 confirmed how I interpreted them in this story, which is a big relief.
> 
> Thanks, as always, for taking the time to read! <3

After passing through a short hallway, the four men walked into a conference room containing not much more than a long table set disproportionately in the middle of only three chairs.

“Let me grab a fourth chair from the room next door,” Montgomery said. After doing so, they were seated. He continued, “So, how did you two meet?”

“We were both in Mr. Harris’ teamwork building workshop and were occasionally grouped together,” Lance said, placing his joined hands on the table. “I went back home to Cuba after presenting as an Omega, but I later moved back to the area and we ran into each other again.”

Shiro and Lance had agreed ahead of time to not mention Horotari: telling the basic truth about how they “got together” without all the details. It wasn’t their preference to lie, but they felt like it would be for the best.

“Ah, yes, Harris’ workshop, that’s a popular class,” Montgomery said with a nod.

“Speaking of,” Iverson said, glancing down at some papers he had brought with him. “We have your grades from your one semester here. They were decent.”

“Oh, better than decent, Mitch!” Montgomery said. “Many first-year cadets struggle with the adjustment during their first semester, but you did very well!

“Thank you, sir. I did my best, even when my first heat came out of nowhere at the end of the semester.”

“You managed to pass your final exams,” Iverson said, flipping to the next page of the stack, to review Lance’s exam grades and notes from his instructors. Glancing back up, he continued, “You got by with your heat as a cadet, but I’d like to see how you handle a heat as a fighter pilot going on dangerous missions.”

 _Iverson really doesn’t beat around the bush_ , Shiro thought, crossing his arms.

“Right, I have thought about that,” Lance said. “According to the student handbook, cadets are allowed three sick days per semester, as long as they have a doctor’s note; pilots are given three weeks of vacation and five excused sick days every year. My heats occur every six months, and they usually last three to four days. I don’t see an issue there.”

Montgomery furrowed an eyebrow. “There would be no need for you to use sick days in order to stay home from training or missions. Illnesses are unpredictable; heats are. As long as you inform Dr. Altea when each heat approaches, you would be excused, no questions asked.”

Lance beamed at him. “That would be greatly appreciated!”

“And Shiro,” the man said with a small grin, “I’m sure we could arrange some way of decreasing your hours here at the Garrison during those periods of time so that you could be home with Lance to help out.”

Shiro smiled courteously, his lips pressed so tightly together they hurt a bit. He caught the corner of Lance’s eye but couldn’t hold his gaze.

“Now let’s not get ahead of ourselves!” Iverson said, rolling his eyes. “That is,  _if_  you get back into the program, Cicerón, which, as far as I’m concerned, is not a sure thing. Your grades may have been good, but right now, they’re just numbers on a piece of paper. What traits do you have that make you qualified to fly for the Garrison?”

“To be honest, sir,” Lance said, resting his hands on the table surface, “my personal qualities have not changed much since the last time you interviewed me for admission into the program, back when I was thought to be a Beta. I’m still the same person, after all.” Iverson didn’t look too impressed with that, but Lance pressed on. “I have an outgoing personality, which allows me to easily connect with people, even those who are different from me. I am brave and have a strong sense of adventure, though I’m still learning to recognize when to charge forward and when to retreat. I have a high situational awareness and consider myself a good tactician. I know I can be a bit cocky and confrontational-”

“‘A bit?’” Iverson echoed; he must have been referring to incidents in the class of his that Lance had been in in the past.

But Lance didn’t acknowledge the comment. “…And while I am working on having better self-control, I believe that confidence and assertiveness are good qualities for a pilot to have, in moderation.”

Shiro nodded slightly at each trait as it was mentioned; they had rehearsed this part, as Lance had been uncertain of how to talk about his strengths without seeming arrogant, as well as how to put a positive spin on his weaknesses. “At my first interview, back when I was 19,” Lance had told Shiro, “I could hardly put three sentences together, I was so awkward talking about myself.”

The two interviewers made notes on their tablets as Lance spoke, summarizing his words. That small smile remained on Montgomery’s face; Iverson’s stony expression hadn’t changed a millimeter, either.

“That’s all very well,” Iverson said one Lance had finished. “However, presenting as an Omega brings about irreversible changes in a person: physically, emotionally, mentally. We-”

“If I may, Iverson,” Shiro spoke up, though not much caring if Iverson actually gave him permission, “ _we_  have come prepared.” He set his binder containing all of Lance’s information on the table and passed it across. “Within that binder, you will find a petition with a few names on it that you may recognize. You noticed Commander Sam Holt, Dr. Allura Altea, and Coach Coran Smythe in the lobby; Instructor Dayak was otherwise occupied today. But they all have something in common: they agree that Lance has what it takes to become a fighter pilot. Dr. Altea and Coach Smythe have provided their approval of Lance’s physical fitness and mental wellbeing, current as of this past Sunday. Commander Holt and Instructor Dayak agree with them.”  

As they reviewed the contents of the binder, Montgomery looked pleased, and Iverson at least started to look curious.

“These various faculty and staff very graciously gave their time to get to know Lance and to form their own opinions,” Shiro continued. “We wanted to ensure Lance would receive a fair assessment, just in case the Garrison elected not to give him an official examination because of his dynamic.” Shiro tried his best to not direct this last comment specifically to Iverson.

“You two really have come prepared!” Montgomery said, leaning back in his chair, before looking askance at Iverson, as if expecting him to come back with some snarky response.

Before he could, however, Lance spoke first.

“I… also thought I should add… after I was dismissed from the fighter pilot program and chose to leave the Garrison, I attended the Horotari Sanctuary for Elite Omegas, having received a full-ride scholarship.”

Shiro felt his face go pale;  _what is he doing?_  he thought as he fought to remain calm. Eyes bouncing from Lance to the interviewers, he saw matching looks of surprise on both men’s faces.

Lance continued, his voice perfectly controlled, “Shiro and I weren’t going to bring it up, but I have decided to, last minute. While I didn’t agree with the Sanctuary’s worldview, I worked hard there, and I believe I left it a more well-rounded, disciplined person. I can give you the headmaster’s phone number, if you would like to confirm.”

“Hold on, hold on,” Iverson said, sitting up straighter in his chair. “Shirogane, I know you're from an Elite family. Is that where you two were reunited, after Cicerón left the Garrison?”

Shiro and Lance looked to each other, both sensing something in Iverson’s tone that they didn’t like.  _Well, Lance has already told them more than we were planning, so there’s no point in holding back now._

“Yes,” he said simply.

Iverson suddenly shrieked with laughter, causing the other three men to jump. No one else seemed to see any humor in the situation.

Still chuckling, Iverson shook his head. “Shirogane, you come in here, singing this kid’s praises about how he should be allowed to become a pilot, when you got him from an  _Omega sanctuary_?” He let loose another howl of amusement. “Some champion of Omega rights you are!”

Feeling like the air had been sucked from his body, Shiro was speechless. Lance looked to him, panic in his eyes at his choice to bring up Horotari. Shiro didn’t know how to communicate to him that he did not blame him, however; honesty really was the best policy, and Shiro respected Lance’s decision, regardless.

Montgomery didn’t seem to know how to respond to his coworker’s cruel mirth and was hesitant to be the next to speak. The silence, filled with intermittent aftershocks of entertainment from Iverson, stretched on for a few eternities, at least in Shiro’s mind. But the sound of a chair scooting backwards brought an end to that, as Lance abruptly stood up. Slamming his hands on the table directly in front of Iverson, his face was steely and intense.

“Shiro only went to Horotari to appease his parents, and he brought me home because we got along so well, and he wanted to help me reach my potential, not because he just thought I was a pretty face. He’s kind, supportive, considerate, generous, and the utmost gentleman. He is, by far, the best Alpha I could have ever dreamed of having, and  _yes_ , he is a champion of Omega rights; he isn’t supportive of just me, but of  _all_  Omegas being able to follow their dreams.” 

Lance’s words touched Shiro’s heart; he almost managed a smile, and his thumping heart calmed, just a bit.

Meeting Lance’s gaze, Iverson’s face was inscrutable as ever. The sound of a pin dropping would have been as loud as a crash landing, the room was so quiet.

Eventually, Iverson exhaled hard from his nose. “Well, Shirogane; looks like you have yourself one hell of an Omega.”

It took several seconds for Shiro and Lance to process his words as a compliment.

“I… I really do, Iverson.”

“And you’ve got to admit, Mitch,” Montgomery said, finally finding his voice, “I think we’ve just seen just how brave Lance is: willing to tell the truth, even if it has the potential to injure his reputation, and ready to defend his Alpha’s honor. That says a lot about his character.”

Iverson didn’t say anything to this, whether in agreement or otherwise. Montgomery seemed to be able to read him, though, because after a moment he joined Lance in standing and extended his right hand.

“Lance Cicerón, I think I can speak for Iverson and myself when I say… welcome back to-”

“He can come back,” Iverson interrupted, “but on a probation period.”

Dropping his extended hand, Montgomery whipped his head downwards to look at Iverson.

“What?!” he demanded.

“You heard me, Montgomery. I want him on a six-month probation. We’ve heard a lot of words today, but actions are a lot louder. He has to prove himself.”

Iverson spoke with a tone of finality; Shiro knew from experience that the man’s mind was not easily changed. The light at the end of the tunnel was visible, but it had just moved further away.

Montgomery wasn’t going to give in so readily, though.

“What for?” he said, turning to fully face Iverson, who was still seated. “Lance has done nothing wrong. We kicked him out of his program for something that wasn't his fault: his biology. We have been turning away countless Omegas from the fighter pilot program, as well as others, just based off the old prejudice that they were too weak without giving them a chance. I thought the Galaxy Garrison was more forward-thinking than that.”

His jaw set tightly, Iverson mulled over his colleague’s argument.

“Now, may I resume what I was saying?” Montgomery said, his patience obviously having grown short.

Iverson shrugged. “Fine. On your own head, be it.”

“Gladly,” Montgomery said, before turning back to face Lance. They completed the handshake that Montgomery had been going for earlier. “Lance Cicerón, it is a pleasure to say, welcome back to the Galaxy Garrison.”

Shiro felt his chest heave with the release of a breath he had been holding, and he couldn’t help but laugh aloud. As his handshake with Montgomery ended, Lance turned to give Shiro a side hug, and he quickly encircled Lance in his arms; he felt like gelatin in Shiro’s embrace. If Shiro was relieved, he couldn’t imagine what Lance was feeling.

“I-I can’t thank you enough, Professor Montgomery and Commander Iverson,” Lance managed to get out.

“No, Lance, thank  _you_ ,” Montgomery said, smiling broadly. “Thank you for giving the Garrison a second chance, after you had every right to write us off for what we did to you. We will try to make it up to you.”

Iverson finally stood up as well, offering Lance a very brief handshake.

“I won’t go easy on you if you wind up in any of my classes again,” he said, without the slightest hint of good humor in his voice.

“Of course not, sir.” Lance finally cracked a smile. “I wouldn’t expect anything else!”

 

* * *

 

Having said their goodbyes to Iverson and Montgomery, Lance and Shiro came back out to the administrative office lobby. Coran took one look at Lance’s jubilant face and grabbed him in a big bear hug.

“Well done, lad!” he said, swinging him around. He was stronger than he looked!

“Ha-ha, thanks!”

Sam and Allura approached, giving Coran a wide berth until he put Lance back down.

“I knew you could do it!” Allura said, affectionately putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Of course, he did!” Sam exclaimed. “Lance, you’ve got the heart of a lion, you do!” After enthusiastically shaking Lance’s hand, he looked to Shiro. “And good job to you, too, Shiro. I’m sure you kept Iverson straight in there!”

“I hardly did anything,” Shiro said, draping an arm around Lance’s shoulders. “You should have seen Lance in there: he was so poised and had a command of the room!”

“All of you definitely made the whole process easier,” Lance said to the four of them. As an afterthought, he added, “And Instructor Dayak, too, of course, wherever she is right now.”

“Well done, all of us!” Allura cheered.

They suddenly heard an  _ahem_  from behind them; turning around, they saw the secretary giving them an annoyed look. The happy group of friends had not realized how loud they were being. After they all gave him an apologetic look, they made their way into the hallway outside of the administrative offices.

The front courtyard was nearby, so they headed there, where they could sit and unwind a bit. Lance regaled the interview, blow for blow, with some dramatic flair for good measure. Shiro sat next to him on the bench, watching him rapt, his heart bursting with pride.

Once the reenactment was concluded, they started chatting about this and that; Allura and Coran brought him up to date on what was going on around campus, including clubs and other extracurriculars. As he didn’t deal with cadets very much, Sam didn’t have much to add, and after a few minutes of this, he caught Shiro’s eye and subtly gestured away from the two benches where they were all seated. They discreetly excused themselves and ambled a few yards across the spacious courtyard.

The two friends stood in contented silence for a few moments; Shiro almost instantly found his eyes wandering back to Lance, who was animatedly showing Coran and Allura some surfing moves, standing on the vacant bench. Amused, he figured their conversation must have been all over the place in their excitement. But Shiro suddenly realized that there were eyes on himself, as well; Sam was still standing right there, giving him a long, thoughtful look.

“Sorry!” A deer caught in the headlights would probably have looked less obviously surprised than him. “Did you want to talk to me about something?”

“I like to think I know you pretty well, Shiro. That being said, the way you look at Lance doesn’t exactly scream ‘platonic.’”

“W-what?” Shiro sputtered.

“I believe young people call it ‘heart-eyes’…?” Sam raised an eyebrow at him, expectantly.

As if to hide his so-called “heart-eyes,” Shiro bent over slightly and covered his face with a hand.

“Oh…” Shiro groaned. “Oh… okay…” Sparing a glance back at Sam, he saw he wasn’t in the clear yet. Sighing, he straightened his posture again. “You know me too well, don’t you?”

Sam grinned with quiet victory. “Are you planning on ever telling him?”

“No!” Shiro said hurriedly; at Sam’s look of surprise, he scratched his forehead, trying to think of how to explain everything. “Look… I… since we met again at the Sanctuary, we’re in kind of a delicate situation.” He started pacing, being careful to not go too near where the others were sitting. “That first day, I told him I would be completely fine to remain friends, and  _maybe_  have feelings develop between us in the future, taking it slow, instead of, you know, forcing him to be my mate the first night he spent at my house. I meant that. But I… I didn’t expect these feelings to come so quickly… and I just… I don’t want to rush him into anything, you know?”

“I do know,” Sam said, his smile having turned sad and sympathetic. “Do what you feel is right. But if the opportunity to tell him presents itself, and you have good reason to think your feelings are reciprocated, don’t ignore it, alright?” Shiro nodded slowly. “Whatever happens, know that I’m rooting for you two. What you have is special.”

Shiro looked back over to Lance across the courtyard; this time, Lance must have sensed his gaze, since he looked past Coran’s shoulder and smiled at him, eyes still shining with joy.  

“Yeah, it is pretty special.”

 

* * *

 

Lance’s first day back at the Garrison was a week and a half later. In that time, he registered for various classes and training courses, was fitted for his uniform, and ordered an impressive stack of textbooks. He didn’t need Shiro’s help very much through this process, since he had done it all before. Shiro could tell he enjoyed the independence, especially after leaving the Sanctuary.

When that momentous Monday came, the two of them drove to the Garrison together. By car, it was a 10-minute drive from their house; Lance wanted to save up money to buy his own car one day, so Shiro had gotten Lance a bike for him to use when their commute schedules didn’t line up. For his first day back at the Garrison, though, Lance wanted Shiro to be there with him.

The education wing of the Garrison was bustling in the morning routine; droves of cadets, many of whom lived on campus in the dormitories, speed-walked to make it to classes on time, faculty and staff visible among them. Lance’s first class was not until 0930 that morning and they still had a few minutes to spare before Lance needed to be there, ten minutes early, as per Garrison protocol.

Ambling through the bustling intersection of halls that connected the education wing to the research wing, they wordlessly looked all around them, Lance obviously appreciating all the sights and sounds that he must have missed ever since leaving. Meanwhile, Shiro took a moment to appreciate how Lance looked in his crisp, new uniform: the fit was perfect, the orange paired well with his deep blue eyes, and the thick belt nicely accented his… Shiro stopped himself right there, remembering his conversation with Sam. He didn’t need to be thinking along those lines, not right now.

“Nervous?” he finally asked.

Lance’s wandering eyes landed on Shiro and he gave him a small nod in answer, but he was smiling.

“I was hopeful, I tried to be optimistic but… there was a part of me that never thought this day would come. But here it is!”

“Here it is,” Shiro agreed, his voice soft.

Lance triple-checked his shoulder bag for all of his needed supplies, and they quickly reaffirmed their meeting time and place for later that day, after Lance’s last class and once Shiro had gotten off work.

“I should be going,” Lance said as he quickly looked at his watch.

He looked further down the hall, in the direction of the classroom. Even with his head turned away, Shiro could see the apprehension and excitement in him. He reached to take Lance’s hand, to get his attention in all the chaos of the busy hallway. With Lance’s eyes on him again, his mind temporarily blanked on what parting words to tell Lance, before he remembered something Sam often liked to say.

“Go. Be great.”

His face splitting into a radiant smile, Lance released Shiro’s hand from his, only to hug him tightly.

“Thank you,” Shiro heard from down below. “So… much.”

The embrace was much shorter than Shiro would have preferred, but he knew Lance had to be going. Shiro also needed to be on his way towards the research wing, but he spared a few moments to watch Lance make his way down the hall, until he lost sight of him in the crowd.

Shiro had to dry his eyes before going into his first meeting of the morning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *deleted scene* 
> 
> **Sam, talking to Shiro:** Aw, you like your Omega? That's a bummer. Does anyone else know that you like your Omega? Does your Omega know that you like your Omega?
> 
> 5 points to anyone who gets the reference!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to have Pidge be called Katie in this fic. “Pidge” will just be used as Matt’s nickname for her, as it originally was in the show.
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Lance’s first few days back at the Garrison went very well; better than he could have hoped.

“It weird how much things have changed since I left!” he was telling Shiro as they ate supper together the evening of Lance’s first day back. “And I’m at least a year or two older than everyone else, but the other cadets in my classes are all really cool.”

He had been nervous that people would look down on him, or even bully him, because he was an Omega, but no one even seemed to notice, or at least did not make a big deal out of it. Lance said that he occasionally felt like he had to prove himself during exercises requiring teamwork, but that was more because he was the “new kid” (no one currently enrolled had known him when he had been a cadet in the past), not simply because he was an Omega.

The nature of their relationship was not common knowledge around the Garrison, except for Sam, Allura, and Coran; the five of them agreed it was better for people to assume that Lance and Shiro were both single than to have to explain their whole situation. Fortunately, whenever they were both at the Garrison at the same time, they rarely crossed paths unless they specifically went out of their way, so it wasn’t like most people would especially associate one with the other.

Even so, Lance kept mild suppressants on hand to help mask his scent on days when it was stronger than usual to avoid unwanted attention from Alphas. He hadn’t had any issues so far and Shiro hoped it stayed that way; he knew how obnoxious and entitled some Alphas could be.

Otherwise, Lance’s transition back into the Garrison was surprisingly smooth, all things considered. Lance managed his coursework well, even as he had to play catch-up, having entered a third of the way through the fall semester. He liked all of his instructors pretty well; unfortunately, he didn’t have Coran for any of his classes that semester, but he didn’t have Iverson, either, which would make life easier.

Lance’s first day of work as a barista at the cadet longue café, Sal’s, would be later that week, giving him a few days to get into the rhythm of his classwork and training. He was going to work fifteen to twenty hours per week, and he planned on putting some money aside to help with his tuition and to eventually buy an inexpensive car while still having some mad-money left over. Shiro was still a bit surprised at Lance’s insistence on working and his dedication to his self-set budget, though he did appreciate that Lance wasn’t demanding that Shiro pay for everything, even though he had been willing to.

“I thought I was supposed to be the platonic sugar daddy here!” Shiro joked after one such monetary discussion with Lance.

They were fully aware of how odd their circumstances were; after all, most people don’t willingly pay for the majority of their housemate’s tuition. But the Garrison paid Shiro well, and his parents often sent him gifts. His basic needs were always met, so it felt nice to spend his money on someone else for a change, especially someone he cared about.

Unfortunately, Lance’s barista training was off to a rockier start. The job wasn’t terrible, but Lance found that he didn’t pick up the trade very naturally. It didn’t help that the café owner, Sal, was not a very good teacher of the culinary arts. He was impatient and rather disorganized; Lance wasn’t much of a perfectionist, but as he explained to Shiro, the drinks Sal produced while training Lance were often messy and visually unappealing, though they must have tasted good, as they always had plenty of customers.

While Sal may have been a better businessman than barista, the other staff there at Sal’s were much more helpful. During Lance’s shifts thus far, there were two other baristas, Hunk and Shay, as well as the cashier, Keith.

Hunk was training to be an engineer and he kept the café running like a well-oiled machine. Having been employed there the longest, Hunk discreetly retrained Lance when Sal wasn’t around, showing him not only how to make a good cup of coffee, but a beautiful cup of coffee, as well.

Shay, a cadet in the rather small astrogeology program, had only been working at Sal’s for a few months, but was very efficient around the kitchen, always showing Lance time-saving tricks. She also gave Lance a lot of encouragement and her sunny personality greatly boosted the overall atmosphere of the café.

Manning the register, Keith was usually pretty quiet, and despite him also being in the fighter pilot program, Lance hadn’t gotten to know him very well yet.

Shiro visited Lance at the café on his third day of work; he had wanted to visit earlier, but the previous two days had been full of important meetings. Not wanting to be too much of a distraction to Lance, he chose to go during the lunch hour, when he knew most people would be in the cafeteria, so things would be slower around the café. Indeed, when he arrived, there was no one in line and only a few people seated at the tables.

When Lance saw him approaching, he waved him over.

“Well, hello, Mr. Barista!” Shiro said with a lopsided grin.

“Well, hello, Mr. Customer-I’ve-Never-Seen-Before,” Lance said, mimicking Shiro’s goofy tone. Returning to his normal voice, he said, “Welcome to Sal’s! Let me introduce you-”

“Shiro! What’s hanging, man?” Hunk said, high-fiving Shiro across the counter.

“Morning, Shiro!” chimed Shay as she walked by on her way to the sweets case, a recent delivery of pastries from a local bakery in tow.

“Shay, Hunk, good to see you!” he said as he approached the front counter.

Lance wiped down his workstation with a rag. “You already know them?”

“Shiro knows everyone,” a voice said from behind Shiro.

Looking over his shoulder, his eyes had to drop a bit before they landed on a head of rather short stature.

“Oh, hey, Katie!”

Walking past Shiro, she wordlessly handed Keith four dollars and he wordlessly gave her two quarters and a nickel back.

“Coming right up!” Hunk said, seeing the transaction. He obviously already knew her order.

Katie settled into her usual seat at the café bar and pulled out her laptop, leaving one earbud out of her left ear to make conversation with Hunk as he bustled around. He had her large, black coffee to her roughly a minute later.

In answer to Lance’s question, Shiro said, “I used to tutor Keith and we later became friends. I graduated with Shay’s older brother, Rax, and I know Hunk through the Holt family; he and Katie have always been best friends.”

“Like I said, he knows everyone,” Katie told Lance, before taking a loud slurp of her coffee.

Pulling out his wallet, Shiro stepped up to the counter. “Hey, Keith! I’ll just have a small cappuccino. $3.65?”

“$3.65,” Keith confirmed, with a small smile.

He turned his head as if to give the order to the baristas, but Shay beat him to it. “I got it!” she said, already reaching a hand over to foam the milk.

Shiro handed over his payment with exact change. “How’s that barrel roll coming along?”

“I’ve nearly got it in the simulation, but I still can’t get it every time.”

“Well, I know you’ll get it eventually! Patience-”

“Yeah, ‘patience yields focus,’ I know…” Keith said, in a faux-exasperated tone. Shiro knew that Keith really did take the advice to heart, but Keith liked to tease him about how often he used the phrase.

“Hey, that’s the first time I’ve seen you smile, other than when speaking to a customer!” Lance said, grinning at Keith, who rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

Shiro smirked. “Wait, I’m not a customer?”

“Of course not, you’re just Shiro!” Shay said, handing his cappuccino to him.

After thanking her, Shiro took a sip and said, “Hmm, delicious as always, Shay! Is this a new design in the foam?”

“Yeah! I just figured out how to do the feather pattern yesterday!”

“Very nice!”

Lance collected the bin of returned ceramic coffee mugs to wash them; the sink was nearby the far side of the front counter, so he could still easily talk to Shiro.

“How’s your third day of work been so far?” Shiro asked.

“Pretty good!” Lance said, letting the left-hand sink fill halfway with soapy water. “I’m still learning, of course, but I feel like I’m getting into the swing of things, and I’m getting along pretty well with everyone.”

“Is Sal in today?”

“Nah; Hunk said they don’t usually see him more than once or twice a week when they don’t have a new hire to train, basically whenever he checks in to drop off their paychecks. Things run just as smoothly without him around, though; Hunk could easily take his place!”

“No mutinous talk over there!” Hunk called, though he was grinning at the compliment.

“You could, though!” Lance said over his shoulder. Turning back to the sink, he continued to Shiro, “What have you been up to today?”

“This morning I had a meeting with Commander Ryu and her team; they’re planning a mission to explore the area around Pluto, so Sam, Matt, and I showed them our findings about Kerberos. Once I leave here, I’m going to help test-drive a new braking system for the cargo ships.”

“Ooh, important stuff!”

“Heh, thanks.”

Looking upwards toward his forehead, Shiro ran his fingers through his forelock, tousling the black hair absentmindedly.

“I think that new pomade is working pretty well for you!” Lance commented, noticing Shiro messing with his hair.

“You think? I’m still trying to figure out how much to use…”

“That seems like a good amount. I think you look great!”

After setting down the mug he had been washing into the sink, Lance dried his hands, stood on tiptoe, leaned across the counter, and smoothed Shiro’s forelock back to where it had been. At the sudden close proximity, Shiro reflexively held his breath, avoiding direct eye contact with Lance by staring, a bit cross-eyed, at his nose. Lance’s fingers felt soft, brushing against Shiro’s forehead.

Satisfied with his handiwork, Lance grinned and turned back to the sink to wash his hands before resuming washing the mugs.

Having noticed the brief, affectionate interaction, Hunk, who had just returned from taking out the trash, began backtracking his steps until he was just behind Lance.

“Er, sorry, but are you two… dating?”

“Shiro and I are actually mates!”

Hunk’s jaw dropped. “Wait, seriously?!” he exclaimed, drawing Shay, Keith, and Katie’s attention.

“When did this happen?!” Keith asked Shiro. “Were you planning on telling me?”

“Platonic… nonsexual mates,” Shiro added, a bit surprised at Lance’s bluntness. _I should start expecting that, I guess,_  he thought.

Katie quirked an eyebrow. “So, like normal friends, then?”

“No, like I’m his Omega and he’s my Alpha,” Lance said, setting down the mug he had been washing. “Technically, legally speaking. But we don’t do, like… mate… stuff, we just live together. Two years ago, I started out here at the Garrison, but then I presented late as an Omega and the Garrison forced me to leave the fighter pilot program.”

“After he left,” Shiro said, “Lance went to an Elite Omega finishing school.”

“Ooh, I’ve read about those,” Katie said, wrinkling her nose. “Kind of creepy sounding.”

“They treated us pretty well, but it was _super_ traditional,” Lance told her.

“My parents gave me money for the trip and to buy an Omega; I went there just to get them off my back, not planning to actually make a ‘purchase.’ But then I recognized Lance from a class we had had together, and we got along well, so-”

“You brought him home and helped him get back into the Garrison!” Shay said, putting the pieces together. “That’s so sweet!”

“So, you guys are single, but you are technically ‘with’ each other?” Hunk asked, cocking his head.

“Right; since purchases from Omega sanctuaries are legally binding, if we decide that we no longer want to live with each other, we would have to go through all the separation paperwork. But I would continue to help Lance with his education expenses, since that’s what I promised from the start.”

“…Basically, you’re a sugar daddy,” Katie said with a sly smile.

“Platonic sugar daddy!” Shiro and Lance said together with a laugh.

Keith opened the cash register and started opening some rolls of coins. “But in sugar daddy situations, money and gifts are normally given in exchange for… _something_ , right?”

“I mean, he’s not _literally_ my sugar daddy,” Lance said, crossing his arms.

“Well, I guess if anything…” Shiro said, thoughtfully, “it would be your company and friendship, but of course it’s not a literal exchange. Living alone in that big house used to get pretty lonely, and so it’s really nice sharing it with someone!”

Lance beamed.

“You guys are weird, you know that?”  Katie said with an amused smile.

“Well, it _is_ a little unusual,” Shay said as she filled the pastry case with croissants, “but I think as long it’s healthy and you have clear communication, do whatever works for you!”

“Thanks, Shay!” Lance said. “But since our situation is so weird and complicated, it’d probably be best to keep it on the down-low.”

“These guys are pretty trustworthy,” Shiro told Lance, before playfully narrowing his eyes at Katie. “Well, _most_ of them are!”

Katie threw her stirring straw at his shoulder. “Hey, I’m telling Matt you said that!”

“Matt would have said the same thing!” Hunk laughing.

Shiro had to get going soon after that, so he bid the crew at Sal’s goodbye. Leaving the cadet longue, he thought about how nice it felt for more of his friends to be in the know about his relationship with Lance. Not only would having others know the truth help prevent rumors from spreading, but having their support also made things feel more real, regardless of how he and Lance defined their relationship.


	11. Chapter 11

Upon hearing his phone ring, Shiro startled a bit and tore his eyes away from his computer monitor, where they had been glued for the last hour and a half as he worked on a research proposal. Lance’s name appeared on his phone screen. Shiro wondered why he was calling; checking the time, Lance would have been in between classes at the moment, so he could have walked across campus to Shiro’s office. He quickly swiped the "answer" button. 

“Hey, Lance. Everything okay?” Shiro asked, worried Lance was in trouble.

“Hey! I’m fine,” Lance said, though Shiro detected a hint of nervousness. “I just… had a quick question. Do you have a sec?”

“Of course,” Shiro said, leaning back in his office chair.

“So, there’s this guy, Lotor, who has been coming by the café like, every day for the last week or so. He’s always kind of flirty, but just with me, and whenever I’m the one who makes his coffee, he always compliments me, but no one else when they make his coffee. One time I accidently put in almond milk instead of soy milk in his latte and he still complimented it; another time, Shay accidently put whipped cream on his coffee when he had ordered it without and he complained really loudly to her face and I felt so bad for her. Today during my morning shift, he… kind of asked me out, but I didn’t give him an answer yet. I don’t have any classes with him and don’t know him very well, but he seems like kind of a jerk. Hunk grumbles every time Lotor so much walks into the cadet longue; he said he doesn’t trust Lotor and he doesn’t think I should go out with him… I really enjoy dating people and haven’t been able to ever since going to Horotari and I kind of miss it, but I don’t think Lotor is the best place to start…” Lance took a deep breath to recover from the barrage of words. “I’m sorry, I know that wasn’t exactly a ‘quick question.’ I just… before anything, I just wanted to check in with you. Are you… okay with me dating people?”

It took Shiro a few moments to catch up on the rapidly told story; he didn’t immediately realize Lance had finished with a question. An image flashed in his mind of Lance holding hands with some faceless person; _why are they touching my mate?_ the thought came to his mind, unbidden. But he shook his head to clear his mind; _no, he’s not my mate, not like that. He’s not mine._ Shiro’s head was swimming with conflicted feelings, but he had to say something.

“Lance… I… you don’t need to ask my permission. If dating people makes you happy, then you should date people. And yeah, maybe not Lotor – Hunk is a great judge of character, so if he thinks he’s a douche, he’s probably right – but there are plenty of great people around the Garrison, okay?”

Once Shiro finished talking, there was another silence, but this time, on Lance’s end. It was so quiet that Shiro wondered if something had happened to his phone’s connection; checking his phone screen, he saw the call was still going.

“Lance…?”

“Yeah, sorry, I’m here.” Lance’s voice sounded different, but Shiro couldn’t quite place how. “Thank you, Shiro. I appreciate that.”

“No need to thank me, man. And listen, if you do say no to that guy Lotor-”

“-When, it’ll definitely be _when_ ,” Lance corrected, sounding sure of himself.

Shiro let himself smile. “ _When_ you say no to that guy Lotor, if he keeps bothering you to go out with him, say the word and I’ll kick his ass.”

After a pause, a laugh bubbled out of Lance. “Seriously?”

“Well… kicking a cadet’s ass would probably get me fired. But I’ll kick his ass… verbally.”

“My hero,” Lance said with a small laugh, though his tone was sincere.

“Anyway… is there anyone you already have in mind that you want to ask out?”

“Well, there’s a girl named Florona in my meteorology class. She let me borrow her notes to help catch up on what the class has covered. She’s been the first to offer; in my other classes, I’ve had to ask around to get people’s notes. She is really fast on her feet during drills and she has really pretty, long, flowing hair,” Lance kind of tittered, “so she kinda reminds me of a mermaid.”

“You should get lunch together or something!”

“…You think?”

 _It’s either all or nothing_ , Shiro thought.

“Definitely! You never know until you try.”

“O-okay! I have that class later this afternoon; I’ll see if I can talk to her, if we have time. Anyway… thanks for the encouragement. It feels weird to think about dating again after so long.”

“Of course. If you need any advice… I’m here for you.”

 _And not just for advice_. 

 

* * *

 

It had been a long workweek for Shiro; the Garrison was preparing for the first launch of a group of second-year cadets soon. Extra precaution had to be taken with first-time pilots and crews, and this launch was no different. Shiro and his colleagues were not even going on this mission and they were busy enough helping prepare for it; they didn’t envy the workload of the one senior officer who would be accompanying them, to keep everything straight. At the very least, the busyness helped to distract Shiro from thinking about Lance, though it could only do so much.

That Friday, Shiro was scheduled to get off of work before Lance’s last class ended, so they agreed that Lance would ride his bike home. Before leaving the Garrison, Shiro stopped by Sam’s office to ask him a quick question about the upcoming mission. Once that was taken care of, the two friends moved on to more casual conversation.

“So, Lance is adjusting well, I take it?” Sam asked as he got ready to leave for the day.

Leaning against the office’s doorframe, Shiro folded his arms across his chest. “Yeah, he’s doing great! He’s been working hard to get all of his coursework up to date, but he’s really not too far behind.”

“It really goes to show how he shouldn’t have been kicked out of the program in the first place,” Sam said with a grin. “Has he had much trouble making friends because of his dynamic?”

“Not at all; he gets along really well with his coworkers at Sal’s, and he’s done some extra target practice with a few classmates. He’s even started dating.”

“Really?” Sam slung his shoulder bag over his shoulder. “Much luck there?”

“He went out to lunch with a girl named Florona; they’re going out again next week. He also did a double-date sort of thing to the movie theatre; his date was Blaytz, from the mission control program.” Shiro hesitated a bit. “He’s… having fun.”

Sam didn’t seem to know exactly how to react, appearing to teeter between being happy for Lance and sympathetic towards Shiro.

“How… do you feel about all that?” he asked carefully as they left the office, Sam briefly pausing to lock the door before they headed down the hallway. 

“I really want him to have his freedom, to follow his dreams and do whatever he wants to in life; that’s why I brought him home with me from Horotari, after all. We've talked about how I would continue to support him even if he decides to move out, so he's not obligated to stay with me.”

“That’s all very good, but you didn't answer my question, Shiro. How do _you_ feel?”

Shiro slowed to a halt, causing Sam to stop, as well.

“I… It’s hard, you know? I can’t say I’m happy that he’s dating, but I’m trying to happy because he seems to be happy. And it’s not like I have first dibs on him just because we live together; it would be selfish to forbid him from dating. I know I’ll get over it eventually.”

They resumed their walk down the hall, toward the faculty and staff parking lot, and it wasn’t long before they arrived at where their cars were parked, only a few spaces apart.

Sam took out his keys. “I hate to use a cliché-”

Shiro smirked. “Sam, you _love_ clichés.”

“Well, perhaps. But there’s an old saying: ‘If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it’s yours forever. If it doesn’t, then it was never meant to be.’ There’s a lot of truth in that. I really think you’re doing the right thing.”

Exchanging sad smiles, they bid each other goodnight. As Shiro drove home, he heard Sam’s words repeat in his mind. ' _If you love something, let it go.' Do I love him? Or this this just some weird kind of crush?_ He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. _It doesn’t matter. I’m letting him go._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I would love to hear from you! :)


	12. Chapter 12

The Garrison faculty and staff longue was closed for a few days for renovations, so everyone had to go to the cadets’ cafeteria for lunch and the already-lively mess hall became even more crowded than usual. Lance had a class that didn’t end until the second half of the lunch hour, so Shiro was planning on eating lunch with Matt, before a meeting that they were both scheduled to attend; they only occasionally got to eat lunch together due to conflicting schedules, so Shiro was looking forward to seeing him. But getting through the lunch line was slow-going. _I hope I can find him,_ Shiro thought, looking over his shoulder to scan the crowd of cadets, faculty, and staff for his friend.

Turning back to face forward again, Shiro realized someone had cut in line behind him in the small gap between him and the previous person in line. It was Iverson. _Oh, great,_ Shiro thought, biting the inside of his cheek. The cadet behind Iverson knew better than to complain about having been cut off in line.

“Shirogane,” Iverson said, placing his tray on the buffet counter next to Shiro’s. “ _Déjà vu_ , eh? Odd being back in the cadets’ cafeteria, I’m sure.”

“Yeah; I’m looking forward to being back in the officers’ longue,” Shiro said, hoping the conversation would end there. But Iverson had obviously cut in line for a reason other than to comment on their inconvenient lunch arrangements. Shiro picked up the salad tongs and began filling his bowl. “Did you want something?” he asked, figuring he may as well cut to the chase.

Iverson didn’t seem to mind his directness. “So, a couple weeks back, I just happened to be taking a shortcut through the courtyard on the south side of campus…” he began, speaking slowly as if he was building up suspense in a story. “And maybe it was this ol’ eye playing tricks on me, but I _thought_ I saw young Cicerón sitting on a bench with a girl, talkin’ and carryin’ on. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought they were on a date.” He quirked the eyebrow over his good eye, watching Shiro for a reaction. “Know anything about that?”

 _Yes, I do,_ he thought sullenly. _You’re right, that was a date in the courtyard; I remember Lance mentioning it to me._ _I am encouraging him to date whoever he wants to, because we are just friends and I want him to be happy, regardless of if it’s with me or not._

He couldn’t say that, though; during Lance’s interview, they had given Iverson and Montgomery the impression that they were a couple, not platonic mates. He wasn’t sure of how Iverson would react to the truth; he already didn’t like Lance, so even the simple fact that they hadn’t disclosed the whole truth about their relationship could be enough to justify penalizing Lance in some way. He didn’t want to risk it.

But before Shiro could come up with an answer, Iverson continued, “Looks like _someone_ isn’t satisfying his Omega!” He seemed to bite back a laugh. “I thought I ought to break the news to you before you found out the hard way!”

“Lance has a flirty personality, even while interacting with friends,” Shiro said stiffly, pouring Italian dressing on his salad. “I don’t mind, as he never takes it too far, and I know he would never cheat.” Which was true: Shiro knew that Lance would be faithful to his significant other, whoever that ended up being.

That was all Shiro was going to say; he didn’t owe Iverson an explanation of their personal life. Before walking away from the salad bar, Shiro met Iverson’s eye, as if to challenge him to comment further. 

 

* * *

 

The weekend, which Shiro normally looked forward to, passed unbearably slowly. He found himself avoiding spending time with Lance; they cooked and ate together, as they had been doing every day for their first month living together, but as far as watching movies, playing video games, going grocery shopping, and taking Natsu for walks, he was never the one to initiate, and was often hesitant to accept Lance’s invitations to do their favorite activities. He felt terrible doing that, but he felt like the more time he spent with Lance, the harder it was to move on from his feelings.

Sunday evening, Lance had his third date with a guy named Rolo. They seemed to be getting along well; as a cargo pilot in training, Rolo had a more easygoing personality than most fighter pilots. They had met during a teambuilding exercise in a crash-landing simulator and had done a good job together; Lance really liked how Rolo had remained calm and collected during the simulated emergency and had helped a few younger cadets keep their focus on the task at hand.

Ever since he had started dating again two months prior, Lance had had a handful of first dates and two second dates, along with several informal group dates, or “hangouts” as they were usually called; he had liked those people well enough, but there just wasn’t much chemistry, so they had not continued for very long. So, this third date with Rolo was a big deal for Lance, having had been so nervous to get back into the dating world after leaving the Horotari Sanctuary. Shiro was hoping it would go well for him and be a boost to his confidence.

Shiro was on the living room couch with Natsu sprawled in his lap, watching a documentary about the Amazon rainforest. He was just finishing some leftover pasta when he heard the front door open and close. Pausing the show, he sat up and craned his neck to see down the front hallway. Lance had just taken off his shoes in the atrium and was headed toward the kitchen.

“You’re home early, aren’t you?” Shiro called.

Lance opened the refrigerator and retrieved the gallon of milk, then got out a box of cereal. “Yeah, the dinner date didn’t even last past the appetizer,” he said, his voice flat. 

“Oh, no, I’m sorry, man.” Shiro slipped out from underneath Natsu’s sleepy deadweight and entered into the kitchen. Chewing his lip, he watched Lance silently pour the milk over his cereal and begin to eat, standing at the kitchen counter. “…Want to talk about it?”

“I told him about us. The whole story, Horotari, everything. On my other dates, I’ve just said I live with my friend Shiro and left it at that. But since it was our _third_ date, I decided to let him know about our situation.”

“He didn’t take it well,” Shiro concluded.

Lance shook his head, his eyes drifting downward to read the back of the cereal box. “Rolo just couldn’t understand that we’re platonic mates. He thought I was cheating on you or something, and he didn't want to have any part of that.” Dropping his spoon into the bowl, Lance hit his fist against his forehead. “God, I’m too much of an open-book, aren’t I? I should have waited until later to tell him…”

“No, no,” Shiro said, rounding the kitchen counter to be closer to Lance. “Your honesty is a good thing. When people who have kids go out on dates, they usually let the other person know, ‘hey, I’m a single parent’ right off the bat, so they know what they’re getting into. Same thing here. I think it was only fair that you told him, early on, before too much time passed.”

Nodding faintly, Lance ate his cereal in silence. Shiro looked out the large kitchen window; nightfall was only just beginning. He thought over Lance’s words, and what had happened on the date that night, which led to thoughts about the future. _What if everyone he dates reacts like Rolo did to learning about our situation?_ he thought, dread filling his stomach. _He has had fun, going on dates with different people, but I know he wants to have a more meaningful, long-term relationship eventually. What if his relationships never last longer than a few dates… because of me?_

“Do you want to move out?” he asked, his voice quieter than he intended.

“What…?” Lance said, freezing.

“I mean, if that would make it easier. For you to date, I mean.”

Lance finished the last bite of his cereal, staring resolutely at the countertop.

“That way, you wouldn’t even have to tell your dates about me, since we wouldn’t be living together,” Shiro said into the silence. “I would continue to pay for-”

“No,” Lance said, shaking his head firmly. “No, I don’t want to move out. If the person I’m dating has a problem with you… with _us_ … then I don’t want to date them.”

“Okay…” Shiro said, the knots in his stomach gradually unraveling. “Okay, good. Great,” he added, smiling awkwardly. “I’m… really glad to hear that. I want you to stay, for as long as you want.” Lance returned the smile, slowly. “I know there’s someone out there who’ll be more understanding than Rolo was. You’ll find them, I know it.”

“Yeah…” Lance said, setting his empty bowl in the sink. He then walked into the living room to greet Natsu, who had by now woken up to give him a happy greeting. “Although, I think I’m going to take a break from dating for a while.”

Shiro sat down on the couch on the other side of Natsu. “Don’t let what happened with Rolo ruin dating for you.”

“It’s not that…” Lance said, looking a bit awkward as he stroked Natsu’s neck. “It’s… um… my heat is due in a few weeks, and I don’t want to be that guy who starts dating someone even though he knows his heat is right around the corner, because then the other person feels like they have to help even though they barely know each other…”

“Does that happen a lot?” Shiro had never dated an Omega through their heat before.

Lance shrugged. “Well, I imagine it’s a thing. And besides, it just sounds like it would be bad etiquette.”

Natsu jumped down from the couch and trotted over to her basket of toys to retrieve her tugging rope. As if sensing he needed cheering up, she brought the rope over to Lance and wagged her tail hopefully. Lance couldn’t resist; he grabbed the other end and gave it a pull, which she enthusiastically returned, and they began going back and forth.

As the game continued, Lance’s eyes returned to Shiro’s. “So… just to avoid any awkwardness, I’m planning on staying in a hotel during my heat. I’ve already started saving money, and-”

“Lance, I’ll pay for it, don’t worry. Or, actually, why don’t you stay here at home and I’ll stay in the hotel? That way, you’ll be where everything is familiar and comfortable, and your bed will already have your scent.”

“I can’t kick you out of your house for the three or four days my heat lasts.”

Shiro sat back further into the couch. “You wouldn’t be kicking me out, because I’m the one who’s offering to go. I insist. And besides, it will be safer that way; being out in public, even behind a hotel room door, during your heat while unbonded…” He shook his head. “No, I’d be more comfortable with you here, with my strong security system…”

Just the thought of Lance walking down the hall to the hotel snack machine between heatwaves and bumping into an Alpha with questionable morals… Shiro shuddered at the thought. He hated that that was the reality for so many Omegas.

Lance, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be having those same thoughts. The game of tug-o-war had obviously improved his mood.

“And I’ll also have Natsu, the fearless guard dog!” Lance said, dangling the pull rope above Natsu’s head, prompting her to sit on her hind legs to reach it. “And I do have birth control pills; they don’t help a lot with the intensity of the heat, but they do take the edge off, at least.”

Successfully getting the pull rope out of Lance’s hands, Natsu ran a loop around the coffee table before offering it to Shiro.

“She doesn’t want you to feel left out!” Lance said with a laugh.

Shiro took the rope, giving it a playful yank. “She’s so considerate and selfless that way! Aren’t you, Natsu? Aren’t you?” After a few moments of this, Natsu seemed to grow bored and released her hold on the pull rope, then wandered off. Shiro turned back to face Lance. “This might be a little too TMI, but… do you have any, er, sex toys to use?”

“‘Sex toys…?’” Lance echoed wonderingly. Then something seemed to click. “Oh! The Sanctuary did give each of us this little silicone vibrating nub-thing to help us through our heats.”

“Yeah, that would probably be a prostate massager; it’s a pretty common sex toy. They didn’t tell you what it was called?”

“Nah; everyone had one, but no one talked about it. We learned all about the biology of the dynamics and reproduction, but they kept us kind of in the dark beyond the basics.” Lance scratched the back of his neck a bit sheepishly. “You know, because the whole ‘everyone here’s a virgin’ thing. And I’ve never really looked at porn, whether before or after my time at the Sanctuary, so…” He waved a hand, wordlessly finishing that sentence.

Shiro pressed his lips together and gave a tight nod. “Right.”

“We Omegas were allowed to take the prostate massagers with us once we left, just in case our Alphas had to be out of town during a heat. I’ve only had to use it once, during a really strong wave.”

“Well, if there’s anything else you need or would like – special snacks, a movie or TV series to marathon, or even a new sex toy or two – let me know, okay? Anything that would make your heat easier for you.”

“Great; I’ll keep that in mind,” Lance said with a nod. “For right now, I at least know I’ll need a few more sets of sheets. I, er, tend to go through a lot.”  

“Sure, we can get some more on our grocery run Friday.”

Lance grabbed Shiro’s hand to give it a quick squeeze before releasing it. “I really appreciate your help, Shiro. Heats can be pretty sucky by yourself; I went through one at the Garrison and three at the Sanctuary. But I definitely think it’ll be easier this time around, because of you.”

“Of course. I… I have to take care of my Omega, after all,” Shiro said with a wink that he hoped played off how bittersweet the conversation had been for him.

 _I may as well help in any way I can, indirectly, if not directly_ , he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D


	13. Chapter 13

Shiro had always been a morning person; even as a cadet, he much preferred waking up early to staying up late. Lance had teased him about being “an old man” when, on numerous occasions, Shiro had started yawning at only 2200.

Tonight, though, Shiro was feeling restless. He just couldn’t get his mind to shut off and no position in bed felt comfortable. He had only had one cup of coffee that morning and hadn’t had any dessert after supper, so he knew it wasn’t caffeine or sugar keeping him up. Apparently, it was just one of those nights.

Flinging his sheets off his body, Shiro got out of bed at 0105, changed out of his pajamas into his sweatpants, and left his room to go to his home gym. _Maybe I can just wear myself out,_ he thought, grumpy with the lack of sleep. He would just lift weights without using any of his workout machines, to keep the noise at a minimum, in case Lance had already gone to sleep.

Walking down the hall, Shiro was about to enter his exercise room when he heard something unusual. If he wasn’t mistaken, he had just heard his own name. Of course, the first thing to come to his mind was the cheesy horror movie he and Lance had watched a few weeks ago, where the protagonist had been followed by ghosts who breathed her name in her ears, but he quickly dismissed that. Curiosity getting the better of him, he went further down the hall, following the intermittent sound. The source, as it turned out, was from behind Lance’s bedroom door.

 _Is he calling for help?_ Shiro’s first instinct was to barge in and come to Lance’s aid, but then it donned on him: Lance wasn’t calling for Shiro, but rather, was _moaning_ his name. There were breathy pauses and short gasps and then there was Shiro’s name again. A few seconds of this passed before Lance gave a strangled cry; catching his breath, he murmured, just barely audible to Shiro: “Gah… not again…” Then, there was silence.

Feeling like lightning had struck him, Shiro darted back down the hall in the direction he had come, all thoughts of exercising forgotten. Returning to his bedroom, Shiro sat down on his bed to try to collect himself.

 _Was… was Lance just masturbating to the thought of… me? He was definitely saying my name, right? Or maybe my name just sounds like some word or phrase in Spanish and I’m completely jumping the gun._ Leaning forward with his elbows rested on his knees, Shiro dug his fingernails into his hair. _And his heat is approaching; it’s about a week away now. Who knows when his hormones start to go haywire? He was probably jacking off and just said the first name that came to his mind._

 _That has to be it,_ Shiro nodded resolutely, forcing himself to believe that latter logic. _He said he didn’t have much chemistry with the people he has dated so far; maybe he didn’t especially feel any sexual attraction towards them, either, so that’s why he didn’t say any of their names… But that would mean he’s sexually attracted to **me**_. _He isn’t, is he? No, that can’t be it. I’ve never noticed anything else that would indicate that. He just said the first name that came to mind, period. Nothing else._

Laying back down in bed, Shiro doubted he would be able to sleep, but he didn’t feel like trying to do anything else. _I can’t get my hopes up,_ he thought, letting his eyes fall shut. _It’s just not worth it._

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Shiro woke up to his 0630 alarm. He must have drifted off at some point, but he doubted he had gotten more than a few hours of sleep. There was a blissful half minute while he was still waking up where he had forgotten about what he had accidentally overheard the night before. But then Shiro could hear Lance’s voice in his mind, just as if he was standing in the room.

“ _Shir-oooh…”_

As he got into the shower, Shiro dreaded facing Lance. There was no way he was going to bring it up; he would die of embarrassment, and he didn’t want to make Lance uncomfortable. But he couldn’t, and certainly didn’t want to, avoid Lance altogether; he was just going to have to power through.

Going down to the kitchen for breakfast, Shiro found Lance making a stovetop stir-fry of sliced potatoes, sausage, onion, and yellow bell pepper.

“Smells delicious!” Shiro said, leaning over the stovetop to get a better sniff. He was glad for the easy topic of conversation. “Is that a new recipe?”

“Yeah, I wanted to experiment! Go ahead and sit down, I’m almost done.” Indeed, Lance had filled two bowls with the stir-fry in less than a minute and they were soon digging in. “I just put in black pepper and garlic salt. Does it need any other seasonings or spices, do you think?”

“No, I think it’s perfect! I love the bell pepper; it adds a nice little punch of flavor. Make sure to write this recipe down!”

“Already did!” Lance said around his mouthful. After swallowing, he continued, “So I’m going to visit Allura’s office today to get the doctor’s note for my heat, since it should be starting in about five days. I assume I’ll get copies of it to give to each of my instructors and Sal?”

“Yeah, that would make sense, or she might just email them to confirm that you will be in heat soon. Either way, I’m really glad Professor Montgomery mentioned that to us so that you don’t have to use your sick days for either your classes or your job at the café.”

The two friends continued with their breakfast, talking with ease about their plans for the day. As Shiro had begun noticing a few days prior, Lance really didn’t seem too down in the dumps about taking a break from dating until after his heat ended. In fact, he seemed just like his normal, chipper self, which Shiro was glad for. He hoped Lance’s positive attitude would help make his heat that much easier. 

 

* * *

 

That night after supper, they wound up relaxing on the couch together. Shiro sat at one end, reading a novel, Lance lied reclined on the opposite arm of the couch, playing a game on his PSP, and Natsu was fast asleep between them. It was moments like these when Shiro remembered how much he had missed just simply hanging out together after Lance had started dating people and Shiro had felt the need to minimize the time he spent with him. He knew Lance would likely resume going on dates after his heat ended; once that happened, Shiro planned on maintaining his respectful distance without compromising their friendship.

About forty-five minutes passed this way, with the only sounds in the room being the video game music set to a low volume and their peaceful breathing. Eventually, though, Shiro got hungry for the chocolate chip cookies the two of them had made earlier.

“I’m getting a few cookies. Want any?”

Lance nodded absently, obviously focused on his game.

Setting his book on the coffee table, Shiro got up and went to the kitchen, Natsu following him to see if he needed any “assistance.” When he returned with the plate of cookies and a glass of milk (for himself; Lance didn’t dip his cookies into milk), he saw that in his absence, Lance had changed his position and was now lying down across the couch, with his long legs sprawled out, his head resting on the armrest on the side of the couch Shiro had been sitting on, and his PSP held above his face as he continued to play.

“Hey, couch hog!” Shiro said with a laugh, setting the cookies and milk down on the coffee table. Walking around it, he stood facing the couch, towering over Lance, hands on his hips.

Lance nonchalantly glanced up at him from the PSP screen. “You move, you lose!”

“Since when?!”

“That’s, like, a universal rule!”

Grinning, Shiro leaned down, lightly grabbed Lance’s shoulders, and effortlessly eased him into a sitting position, causing Lance to squawk in surprise as he quickly paused his game. Supporting Lance’s back with one hand, Shiro then sat down on his original side of the couch and let Lance fall back, his head landing in his lap.

“Hmm, this is pretty comfy, too,” Lance said as he readjusted a bit and resumed his game.

Shiro pulled the coffee table a few inches closer to the couch so they could both reach the cookies without having to move too much, then lifted his legs to prop them on top of the short table, jostling Lance a bit more than necessary in the process.

“Dude, stop, I’m in a boss fight!” he protested as he sat up straight again and folded his legs underneath himself so that he could lean in towards his PSP, tapping furiously at the buttons. “Yes, got it!”

“Good luck!” Shiro said with a smirk, then grabbed a cookie, dipped it in the milk, and opened his book back to the bookmarked page.

They returned to their individual activities and that comfortable silence fell once again. With the boss battle complete, Lance eventually laid back down, again using Shiro’s torso as a pillow; Shiro transferred the book to his left hand and moved his right arm to the back of the couch so that it wouldn’t be in Lance’s way. As Shiro read, the video game music indicated that Lance was now exploring a new area with only occasional enemy encounters, so he slowly felt Lance relax. Glancing to his right, Shiro saw Lance’s upside-down face, his focused expression now less intense than it had been while fighting the boss.

An hour, maybe two, slowly ticked by. Shiro found his eyes wandering more and more often, paying much more attention to Lance’s blue eyes darting back and forth, the small crease of his eyebrow rising and falling in concentration, and the tip of his tongue occasionally peaking out between his lips, so that he nearly forgot what was happening in the story of the book he was reading. _I’m going to have to reread this chapter later, when I don’t have any distractions, to know what happened_ , he thought.

Beginning the next chapter, however, the story took an unexpected twist, thus recapturing Shiro’s attention. He sped through the next two chapters; by the time he looked at the wall clock, it was well past midnight. _Geez, you’d think I would be more tired by now, since I didn’t sleep well last night…_ he thought, putting the book down on the flat part of the armrest.

Looking down, Shiro saw that the PSP was now flat on Lance’s chest, his hands having fallen to his side. _When did he fall asleep?_ Shiro wondered. _The game’s background music is still playing, so I didn’t even notice._ He carefully reached over and picked up the PSP; the battery was likely low by that point, so he opened the game menu, saved, powered the console down, and set it on the coffee table. After turning off the lamp, Shiro tried to get up from the couch to go to bed, moving as little and as slowly as possible so as to not disturb Lance, but he soon gave up, deciding he would just sleep there on the couch, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I really enjoyed your comments on the previous chapter; it's so fun to see your reactions!


	14. Chapter 14

The windows of the living room let in much more sunlight than Shiro’s bedroom windows did, so the next morning, he woke up about an hour after dawn. He had a small crick in his neck from having slept upright, but even so, he felt fairly well rested. Shiro looked down to see the sleeping beauty next to him, who had shifted somewhat through the night but still had his head rested on Shiro’s lap. If Shiro had thought he was handsome normally, Lance was perhaps twice as good-looking asleep: peaceful, completely at ease. He also looked surprisingly vulnerable; although Shiro knew Lance could more than hold his own in the combat gym at the Garrison, he felt a certain protectiveness over him. Shiro wanted nothing more than to run his fingers through Lance’s hair, but he didn’t want to wake him up unnecessarily.

So, being trapped there on the couch until Lance woke up, Shiro picked up his book again. With it being a Saturday, neither of them had any plans for the day, so he wanted Lance to sleep in. However, Shiro’s stomach didn’t get the memo; only a half hour had gone by before it rumbled out of the blue, demanding breakfast. The sound caused Lance to stir a bit.

“Sorry, sorry,” Shiro whispered, seeing his eyes open, “go back to sleep.”

“No, it’s fine,” Lance said, sleepily supporting himself on his left elbow.

Resting back against Shiro’s shoulder in his half-awake state, Lance went still again, as if waiting for his brain to load. After a few minutes, he yawned and stretched; turning slightly inward, he just barely nuzzled against Shiro’s chin, as naturally as if he did it every morning. Shiro had just been inhaling when he felt Lance’s head graze his right scent gland, sending a shiver of pleasure down his spine; in his surprise, Shiro held that breath for several moments.

Lance seemed to sense his astonishment and, realizing what he had done, immediately sat up straight, which created a bit of distance between the two of them. The right side of Shiro’s body suddenly felt oddly cool with the lack of contact.

“Er, sorry for falling asleep on you last night…” he mumbled.

“No worries,” Shiro said, his neck still tingling at the memory of Lance’s touch. He set the book down. “How’d you sleep?”

“Good, pretty good,” Lance replied, running his fingers through his tousled hair. “Next Saturday I’ll be in heat, so I’m going to enjoy today as much as I can.” His features settled into a pensive look, almost as if he had momentarily spaced out.

Shiro brushed some cookie crumbs from the coffee table surface into his hand, before depositing them on the empty plate, which he then took to the kitchen. While he was there, he poured a glass of orange juice and downed it in two gulps. He was about to make a bowl of yogurt and granola when he noticed Lance was still sitting on the couch, absolutely motionless and looking a bit troubled.

“Something on your mind…?” he asked him.

“I’ve just been thinking more about my heat and everything…”

Recognizing something odd in Lance’s voice, Shiro returned the food to the fridge and came back into the living room.

“Yeah?”

Lance fidgeted, his eyes sweeping around the room, looking anywhere except at Shiro. “This will be my fourth heat, so I’m still not really sure what to expect. Do you think that, if one of my heatwaves got to be really, unusually strong… you’d be willing, to, you know… help me with…”

Shiro’s mind blanked, except for the thought, _does… he mean…?_

Lance’s face pinkened. Easing back down onto the couch, Shiro’s heartrate picked up instantly, so that it pounded in his ears; he moved slowly, as if not wanting to spook a horse. Seeing his hesitant movements, Lance suddenly shook his head and held up his hands.

“Never mind!” he said hurriedly. “When I say that out loud… it kind of sounds like a one-night stand sort of thing and… one-night stands between friends aren’t usually good, especially close friends like us. A-and we’re living together, so that could make things complicated…” He hid his face in his hands, the blush on his cheeks having only grown. “Just forget it.”

Mouth gaping open, Shiro tried to figure out how to react, or even how to form words again. _Lance considered me as an option to help him through his heat, if it gets too bad?_ the realization came, dripping like molasses, through Shiro’s head, _and now he looks so embarrassed… Does he…?_

“Lance…”

“No, it’s fine, forget I said anything.” Briefly looking over to Shiro, the smile on Lance’s face had no happiness in it; the muscles of his lips pulled upward, but his eyes were remarkably sad.

 _He looks like how I feel,_ Shiro thought, his stomach lurching as if he was riding a rollercoaster. All the evidence that could have pointed to Lance returning Shiro’s feelings, all the evidence that Shiro had tried to ignore and not analyze too deeply, was now staring him in the face. Folding a leg under the opposite knee, he turned in further toward the center of the couch to face Lance. As he formed his next words in his mind, Shiro’s tongue seemed unwilling to cooperate, but he pressed on. He had to say what he felt.

“I was… just going to say, I agree with you. I never liked the concept of one-night stands, or friends with benefits, for that matter. Those situations are usually just in-the-moment, no strings attached. But commitment is important to me.”

“Y-yeah, totally,” Lance said, nodding vehemently, holding his arms across his stomach.

“I would be more than willing to help you with your heat if you need me to, but if I’m honest…” Shiro inclined his head slightly, causing Lance to look back toward him, “I don’t know if I would be able to hold myself back, once I’ve had one taste of you…”

Sucking in a breath, Lance blinked rapidly. “Wha…?” he breathed.

To make up for any vagueness in his words, Shiro took the plunge.

“I… I want to help you through your heat, this time and every time. I want to be with you through every obstacle, every triumph, all the ups and downs, and the boring, normal days… I want to spend my life with you. I… I love you, Lance. I want to be _yours_.”

Even through his pajama shirt, Shiro could see Lance’s chest rising and falling hard; his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and Shiro was sure he saw a tear slide down his cheek. And suddenly, Lance was turning towards him and sitting on his knees and wrapping his arms around Shiro’s neck and… and kissing him. It was fortunate Lance was holding Shiro, because otherwise, he was sure he would have fallen over. Like a man drowning, Shiro held Lance’s back and, once he had regained some coherency, he kissed back. Tears soon escaped Shiro’s eyes, as well: tears of pure joy.

Lance was the first to pull back, though not very far, as he pressed his forehead to Shiro’s. When they made eye contact, Lance laughed, a true, sweet laugh, with his eyes squeezed shut, causing more tears to flow. Joining in with the laughter, Shiro brought his hands from behind Lance’s back up to cradle his face, using his two thumbs to brush the tears away.

“I love you, too, Shiro,” Lance said once the laughter had subsided, “I… I have for a long time, but I had no idea… I never thought I could tell you… Just thinking about it, oh God,” he said in response to the two fresh tears that appeared.

“Got ‘em,” Shiro said, wiping those away, as well, before leaning in to kiss up the trail the tears had left, ending at Lance’s right eye, which he closed so that Shiro could kiss it, as well.

Moving his legs out from underneath him, Lance sat down on the couch normally so that he could hug Shiro around his middle, burying his face into his shoulder, and Shiro wrapped his arms around him, holding him closer than he had ever dared to in the past, so that he was sure Lance would be able to hear his wildly thumping heart. His wish from earlier that morning coming true, Shiro cupped the back of Lance’s head and began running his fingers through his soft hair.

“I think I started to have feelings for you after our first supper together the day you came home with me,” Shiro said into the top of Lance’s head, “but it wasn’t until Sam called me out on it after your Garrison interview that I began to admit it to myself.”

“Sam? Really?”

“He said that I often look at you with ‘heart eyes.’”

Shiro felt Lance smile against his neck.

“I wasn’t expecting to fall for you so soon,” Shiro continued, “but once I realized there was no going back, I didn’t want to tell you and make you feel pressured into anything.”

Lance pulled back from the hug, his face crumpled with realization. “Oh, no… Then when I asked you if you were okay with me dating people…”

“I was pretty shaken, but I had told you from the start: I am technically your Alpha, but you don’t have any obligation to me, romantically or otherwise, so…”

“Oh, Shiro, I’m so sorry,” Lance said, holding Shiro’s left hand in both of his. “I mean, yeah, I _did_ want to date people, since we were still just friends and that didn’t seem to be changing, but… most of the reason why I asked for your permission was to, well…” he looked a bit embarrassed, “to kind of test the waters. I wanted to see if you had changed your mind at all.” Lance rubbed his eye with the palm of his left hand and huffed a sad laugh. “So, I couldn’t believe how disappointed I was when you _did_ give me permission, and even encouraged me, to date.”

“I couldn’t very well have told you ‘ _no_ , you are not allowed to date,’ could I? Then I would have had to tell you-!”

“I know, I know!” Lance laughed, shaking his head. “It was a dumb strategy; I should have known you would have said yes, regardless, because you’re not a selfish person, but I just had to hear it for myself. And then, of course, I had to start dating people. I _did_ have fun, but it wasn’t what I really wanted. And I know it wasn’t fair, but I think subconsciously, I compared everyone to you, but no one measured up…”

Shiro felt more flattered at that than he perhaps should have.

“Maybe it wasn’t exactly fair, but I can’t really blame you!” he said, bringing their joined hands up to kiss Lance’s knuckles. “I’ve got to say, though… it was really hard to be happy for you, whenever you told me about your various dates, and to _not_ be jealous of them…”

“Oh, really?” Lance sat forward and grinned wickedly. “I would’ve loved to see your possessive side!” 

“Well, now that we’re… you, know, actually _together_ , you may see it in the future, if someone gets to be too flirty with you! I-” Shiro was interrupted by his stomach giving another loud grumble.

“You still haven’t eaten breakfast yet!” Lance said, patting Shiro’s belly affectionately before standing up from the couch. “I can’t have _my Alpha_ going around hungry!”

Shiro would have been happy to just keep snuggling, but breakfast did sound pretty good, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At long last, our dumb boys have talked about their feelings! Thanks so much for waiting through the slow burn; it'll only get more fun from here!
> 
> This chapter was going to be longer, but I decided to cut it in half, so the next chapter will continue this scene. I'm going to be busier now that I'm back at university from summer break, but I still plan on updating at least once or twice a week.


	15. Chapter 15

Lance grabbed Shiro’s hand and tugged him into the kitchen and towards the table, bidding him to be seated. But Shiro side-stepped and spun him around until the backs of Lance's knees were at the seat of the chair.

“You made breakfast yesterday, let me,” he said, only releasing Lance’s hand once he sat down. “I don’t want _my Omega_ working himself to the bone!” He had a feeling he and Lance would be referring to each other that way often, now that they were mates, romantically as well as platonically.

“Fine!” Lance said, pretending to pout, but his expression soon gave way to excitement.

Shiro rounded the kitchen counter and got to work on making scrambled eggs and toast.

“Do you want shredded cheese in your eggs?” Shiro asked as he whisked the yolks of four eggs together.

“Of course! The cheesier, the better!”

“So, I told you when I started to fall for you,” Shiro poured the eggs into the heated skillet. “When do you think you caught feelings?”

When Lance didn’t answer, Shiro looked over his shoulder to see Lance’s face scrunched up with thought.

“What was the date of the first session of Mr. Harris’ teamwork building workshop?”

Shiro nearly dropped the bread on his way to the toaster.

“You…?” Shiro started, taken aback. “Ever since…?”

A slow grin came to Lance’s face. “I mean, my _crush_ on you started then; I think I actually fell in love with you that day before my Garrison interview, when you were encouraging me to believe in myself, and saying how I was worth fighting for… That meant the world to me, especially coming from you.”

Warmth blossomed in Shiro’s stomach, and it wasn’t because he was standing next to a hot stovetop.

“If I wasn’t keeping a close eye on the eggs to make sure they don’t overcook, I would walk over there and kiss you this instant.”

“Then I’ll come to you!” Lance got out of his chair and bounded across the kitchen.

“Make it fast, the eggs are almost done!” Shiro said with a laugh.

Lance arrived at the stove, stood on tiptoe, and kissed his cheek just as Shiro reached up to a nearby cupboard for a large bowl into which he deposited the scrambled eggs.

“So, wait, you told my parents the truth, then! About having a crush on me since that class we had together? That wasn’t just a part of our couple-y act!”   

Opening the fridge to get the butter, Lance smiled slyly, his mouth practically becoming a U-shape.

“Caught that, did you?” he said, filling two glasses with water. “A bit of truth thrown in to make the lie more believable!”

After grabbing the two pieces of toast from the toaster, Shiro doled out healthy portions of the scrambled eggs onto two plates and brought them over to the kitchen table, with Lance following.

“You certainly had them convinced!” Shiro said as they sat down.

“Well, it helped that I didn’t have to act too hard…”

Just then, Shiro was taking a bite into his piece of toast, so his response of “Aww…” came out a bit muffled, but Lance got the general idea. As Shiro was left-handed and Lance was right-handed, they soon discovered that they were able to hold hands with their nondominant hands as they ate. Lance’s fingers danced across Shiro’s palm, his thumb tracing the lines, as if memorizing them.

“Eating breakfast on a Saturday morning, _while_ holding hands…” Shiro said, his eyes drifting down to their tangled fingers. “I mean, I always enjoyed eating breakfast with you on any morning of the week, but holding hands with you while doing so is a remarkable improvement.”

“And we’ll get to hold hands whenever we want, not just at breakfast!” Lance said with a cheesy grin, pointing out the obvious. Finishing his eggs, he set his fork down. “So, do you want me to move into your room? The master suit, how fancy!” He wiggled his fingers dramatically.

“Yeah, if you’d like to!”

“I mean, that’s what mates do, right? Have all their stuff in the same closet, put their toothbrushes next to each other in the toothbrush holder, and er, sleep together in the same bed.”

“Right, that’s… yeah,” Shiro nodded, feeling his face heat up a bit at the mention of the last item. “But there’s absolutely no rush on the ‘sleeping together in the same bed’ part. In fact, you don’t need to move your stuff into my room immediately. Whenever you’re ready to-”

“I’m ready to.”

Shiro wasn’t quite sure what Lance was referring to at first, but the serious look in his eye seemed to say, “all of the above.” 

 

* * *

 

Once they were both done with breakfast, Shiro and Lance hurried upstairs to start moving Lance’s belongings from his bedroom and bathroom into Shiro’s down the hall. It didn’t take too long, as his dresser was the only piece of furniture that needed to be moved, and they double-teamed it without too much trouble. Lance retrieved his suit and a couple of dress shirts that were hanging in his closet and hung them next to Shiro’s formal wear.

They took one last load from Lance’s room, Shiro carrying a few posters had hung on the wall and Lance carrying a box of framed pictures from home; the decorations would be added to the ones in Shiro’s room. Before closing the door, they stood in the doorway, looking at the room that had been stripped of everything Lance-related.

“Goodbye, Lance’s bedroom. Hello, guestroom,” Shiro said, leaning against the doorjamb.

“It was nice while it lasted, Old Bedroom, but I think it’s time we saw other people!” Lance called out, as if the room could actually hear him. Shiro gave Lance an amused look with his eyebrows raised. “What?”

“You’re a dork, that’s all.” Shiro shifted the rolled-up posters so that he could pull the guestroom door closed. Lance only grinned in response.

As they made their way back up the hallway toward the upstairs landing, they heard the familiar tinkle of Natsu’s collar tags. Spying the two men from the bottom of the stairs, Natsu darted up the staircase toward them, wagging her tail eagerly.

“Oh, in all the excitement, we forgot to take Natsu for her morning walk!” Lance said, crouching down to greet her as she arrived at the top of the stairs.

“Sorry about that, baby girl! Let’s go! Go for a walk?” Shiro said, getting her attention.

He pointed to the front door down below on the first floor and Natsu, recognizing one of her favorite words, “walk,” turned around and went back the way she had just come, down the stairs, her tongue lolling happily. Shiro and Lance quickly dropped off the things they were carrying in Shiro’s room, then followed Natsu downstairs for their walk.

The sky was overcast, threatening rain, so the neighborhood was unusually quiet that day, when usually there would be other people out taking walks, as well. They started down a nearby cul-de-sac, Natsu taking the lead through their normal route. Shiro and Lance walked next to each other, as always, and their hands soon linked, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

While keeping an eye on Natsu to ensure her curious nose didn’t get into anything it wasn’t supposed to, Shiro’s thoughts wandered back in time, through his and Lance’s friendship, back to the day he had visited the Horotari Sanctuary. _That was such a crazy day,_ he thought, his fond memories of his first real conversations with Lance overriding the memories of dread and awkwardness from the experience.

Then Shiro remembered taking Lance home, giving him the tour of his house, and seeing the exhilaration in Lance’s eyes at all the of new possibilities. And then of course, sneaking into his mind came the image of Lance flinging himself onto Shiro’s bed, head down, his body completely at Shiro’s mercy. Lance’s submissiveness had disturbed Shiro, both in that moment and whenever he looked back on that memory. Now, however… something about that encounter felt different.

“Hey…” Shiro said, squeezing Lance’s hand a bit tighter. “Remember the day I brought you home from the Sanctuary, and when I showed you my bedroom…?”

“Ugh, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget.” Lance rolled his eyes in embarrassment at the misunderstanding that had occurred.

“I was just thinking about that again, now that I know your crush on me had begun back during our time as cadets at the Garrison. I know you were confused when you presented to me and I didn’t do anything. I must have been giving you mixed signals, to make you think I wanted that… I’m really sorry for any confusion-”

Lance suddenly stopped walking, so Shiro paused, as well, causing Natsu, at the other end of the leash, to stop and look back at them, impatient to keep exploring. He looked up at Shiro, his face now very serious.

“Shiro… _don’t_ apologize for that. You saying ‘no’ was the right thing to do, the _best_ thing you could have done.”

“…Really?”

Lance resumed walking, though his pace was slower now. “When you walked into the lineup of Omegas at the Sanctuary that day, I was so surprised and disappointed. My crush and hero from the Galaxy Garrison was there to buy an Omega? But then we started talking, and you were really kind to me, just like you had been at the Garrison, and you offered to take me home and give me a normal life. That sounded amazing, almost too good to be true, but even though I said ‘yes,’ I was cautious. I _wanted_ to trust you, but in the back of my mind, I was worried you were going to trick me…”

To avoid getting caught in the rain, they started to head back home before reaching their normal turnaround point, Natsu reluctantly obliging. With every word, Shiro felt a weight descend on his chest; he had never considered what Lance must have thought of him, before he had explained the situation with his parents later that day…

“The car ride home was so nice,” Lance continued, “and I felt so comfortable talking to you. You showed me around your house, and we talked about doing chores together and everything, which was comforting. And then when you showed me your room, I thought, ‘I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up; he’s just like all the other Elite Alphas.’ So, I did what I thought I had to do, what I had been trained to do, what I _thought_ you wanted: I presented myself and waited for the inevitable. But then…” Lance’s voice, which had mellowed and lowered so much that it almost cracked, began to brighten a bit. “But then… you didn’t touch me, other than to offer a hand to help me stand back up. You explained your reasons for going to the Sanctuary, and then it all made sense.”

Shiro had been staring steadfastly ahead, his eyes on the pavement, listening to Lance’s side of the story, when he heard him sniffle. Inclining his head slightly to see Lance’s face, Shiro saw he was fighting tears.

“I did have a crush on you, but when you refused to… to _take_ me, that was a huge relief, not a disappointment, or mixed signals, or anything. I instantly assumed the worst, but you proved me wrong.”

“Lance, I’m _so_ sorry you went through that; I had no idea,” Shiro said, his mind spinning. “I wish I had been clearer about my intentions; I should have told you about my parents’ sending me to Horotari on the car ride home, but it just slipped my mind, I was enjoying getting to know you so much. If I had explained earlier that day, maybe we could have avoided all that…”

“Maybe,” Lance said, letting go of his hand, only to link his arm through Shiro’s, so that they walked more closely together. “But what happened in your bedroom that day… It was a thing of actions speaking louder than words, ‘cause it confirmed for me that you were truly a good person.”

Silence fell upon them, save for the sound of Natsu’s paws on the pavement.

“If it wasn’t for that moment…” Lance continued, “I don’t think I would have ever allowed my crush to grow into love.”

They had just arrived at the house. Shiro wordlessly opened the gate to the backyard, took the leash off of Natsu, let her inside to run around a bit longer, and closed the gate behind her, before turning back to Lance. Their eyes meeting, they stepped into a close embrace.

“I wasn’t expecting to tell you about that, at least not yet, but…” Lance trailed off as he tried to control his breathing, and Shiro felt wetness against his neck. “This is the last time I’m going to cry today, I promise,” he said with a little laugh.

“It’s okay, it’s fine,” Shiro murmured, rocking him a bit. “A lot has happened this morning; it’s a lot for me to take in, too. Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me all that.”

Leaning back, Shiro kissed his forehead. As they stood there in their driveway, the looming rainclouds finally let go, beginning with a light drizzle. They soon heard Natsu barking to go back inside the house. Hands finding each other again, they headed inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, and for all of your sweet comments on the previous chapter! It was so fun celebrating the boys getting together! <3


	16. Chapter 16

The rest of that Saturday morning passed slowly, but in a good way; the whole world seemed to slow down just for them. After letting Natsu into the house from roaming around the backyard and drying her off with a towel, Shiro and Lance collapsed into a cuddle pile on the couch, which Natsu quickly tried to join in as well, despite the lack of space. The pitter-patter of the rain on the windows made everything cozier; their kisses still tasted slightly of breakfast.

Ever since they had confessed their love that morning, they had been in near-constant physical contact, and when they weren’t, like when they had been moving Lance’s belongings into their new bedroom, they were looking forward to when they would be touching again. They just couldn’t get enough of each other’s presence. Shiro knew that they were in the “honeymoon phase” – all romance and cuddles, no problems, no arguments. Even so, he had a good feeling that once the novelty of their new intimacy inevitably wore off, the strong foundation of their friendship and respect for each other built over the past five months would continue to keep their love aflame.

Eventually it was decided that they both needed showers, though afterward, they just changed into clean pairs of pajamas. Neither being in the mood to cook, they snacked for lunch. They sat at the kitchen table, sharing chips and hummus and a bowl of grapes. Watching the rain fall out of the kitchen window, Shiro was looking back on the events of the past few days, reviewing how all the pieces had come together to lead to this moment, when the sound of Lance clearing his throat brought him back to the present.

“I don’t know how to say this, but… I think I want to try having sex…”

Taken aback, Shiro nearly choked on the grape he had just popped into his mouth only seconds prior. The grape had been halfway chewed, but he still coughed a bit as it went down his throat at a strange angle; Lance darted out of his seat, in case he needed to perform the Heimlich maneuver.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Shiro laughed, waving a hand to placate him.

Lance hesitantly sat back down. “You sure?”

“Yeah, I’m good. I was just surprised at what you said.”

“Only if you want to, that is," Lance said as he returned to his chair. "No rush or anything, of course…” He bit his lip, though Shiro could tell he was smiling. But then he dropped the bunch of grapes back into the bowl and brought his hands up to his face to cover the sudden blush. “This is embarrassing…”

“Aw, babe,” Shiro gently took Lance’s hands away from over his eyes and held them, “I don’t want you to ever be embarrassed to ask me for anything, okay? And I definitely want to, you know, have sex; I just wasn’t sure if you were ready, or if you wanted to wait for your heat to begin.”

“Do you think we _should_ wait?”

Shiro considered. “Well, we could – it’s only three days away, after all. On the other hand, it might be good to do it before your heat starts so that we can go slowly and learn what each other like while we’re both clearheaded.”

“Oh, right,” Lance said with a nod. “Omegas experience a ton of hormones during heats, and Alphas have really strong reactions to their Omega’s pheromones.”  

“Speaking of, I thought I noticed you smelling differently in the last couple of days…” Shiro leaned in, placed his nose just under Lance’s left ear, and inhaled deeply. Indeed, his scent glands were already working overtime, in preparation for the oncoming heat. Musty, yet somehow sweet – like the peak of summertime – and very much _Lance_. “Delicious,” he breathed into Lance’s ear. “Would have driven me crazy if we hadn’t gotten together.”

While Shiro was still close, Lance wrapped his arms around his neck.

“Carry me up to our room?” he said in an odd combination of laziness and seduction.

After getting one more whiff of Lance’s scent, Shiro carefully pushed back his chair from the kitchen table, bringing Lance along with him, as he now supported his weight. He stood up and brought one arm behind Lance’s back and the other beneath his legs; being an Omega, Lance was smaller in frame and thus wasn’t too heavy, but Shiro could feel every lean muscle. Headed toward the hallway outside the kitchen, Shiro suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned back around.

“I need to put away our stuff from lunch.”

“ _C’mon_ , Shiro!” Lance groaned melodramatically.

“I don’t want our hummus going bad! Hold onto my neck; I need to use the arm that’s supporting your back.”

As he could only use one hand, Shiro had to make two trips across the kitchen to put the bowl of grapes, the hummus container, and the bag of the chips away in the refrigerator and pantry.

“Alright, we’re good now.” Shiro returned his arm to hold Lance’s upper torso, allowing Lance to loosen his hold around his shoulder. Leaving the kitchen, he inclined his head so that they rubbed noses. “Now, where were we…?”

The next moment, they were in Shiro’s- no, _their_ room; Shiro hardly registered the trip upstairs. Using a foot, he closed the door behind them so that Natsu wouldn’t come wandering in. He left the overhead light off in favor of the lamp next to the bed, which he turned on using the hand of the arm that was supporting Lance’s knees. Shiro then lowered Lance down onto the bed into a sitting position, before joining him.

“Thanks for the ride,” Lance murmured.

“Of course.” Shiro sat back, reclining on his arms stretched out behind him. Looking down, he blew out his lips; he was just then realizing how nervous he was. “So… I’ve never been with an Omega before, only two Betas in the past. And I know this is your first time and everything, so I guess we both have some learning to do?”

“Yeah…!” Lance said, sounding both excited and nervous. “Like I said before, the Sanctuary taught us basic reproductive knowledge and submissive behavior, but wanted to keep us as innocent as possible since Omegas are more valuable that way. I pretty much know as much about sex now as I did when I left to go to the Sanctuary, had had ‘the talk’ with my parents, had heard dirty jokes from my friends, and had seen a dozen PG-13 and one R rated movie.” Lance crossed his legs, resting his knees in Shiro’s lap. “How do people normally start this?”

“There’s no one particular way; every couple is different.” Shiro cupped the Lance’s chin in both palms, drawing their faces closer together. “Let’s go slow, talk things through. If you are ever uncomfortable with something, just say the word and we’ll stop, okay? Sex is supposed to be good for everyone involved.”

As he said this, Shiro hoped that the Sanctuary had never taught the traditional Elite bullshit about Alphas always being in charge of what happens, or that Omegas’ pleasure was just an afterthought.

Fortunately, Lance didn’t look at all confused by Shiro’s words; he just smiled, let his hands fall around Shiro’s hips, and sat up to kiss him. Shiro knew it was coming – he had seen Lance lean in and everything – but the moment of contact still took his breath away. Starting out, this kiss was just as soft and chaste as the ones from earlier that day. Shiro could tell Lance had some kissing experience, but felt him holding back; perhaps he was thinking about what they were about to do.

Just when Shiro thought Lance might have been pulling back, he felt a tongue against his lips, seeking entrance. Shiro gladly invited Lance in and let him take the lead, encouraging him to explore as he wanted. He brought his hands up Lance’s back, feeling every ridge of his spine through his shirt, and Lance placed his hands flat on Shiro’s chest. Nibbling on his bottom lip, Shiro drew a small moan from Lance; _the first of many_ , he thought, feeling his eyes flutter in reaction to the lovely sound.

“So… before we go much further…” Shiro said, slowly tearing himself away, at least enough to be able to speak; Lance looked a bit dazed. Catching his breath, he continued, “Is there anything in particular that you want to try, or that you know you want to avoid?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like, certain acts, or positions…?”

“Oh…” Lance blinked in some kind of understanding. “I guess I hadn’t really thought about that. There’re options?”

“Yeah, loads!” Shiro grinned. “Sex can be really creative, actually; there’s a lot to explore. But we can start out simple; I don’t want to overwhelm you with more than the basics.”

“Right… well, I pretty much know about…” Lance made a loose fist with one hand and put the pointer finger of his other hand repeatedly into the center. “You _know_ … that…”

“Penetrative sex, yeah,” Shiro said, biting back an amused grin; Lance’s innocence was so cute, but he didn’t want Lance to think he was making fun of him. “I’m guessing that the Sanctuary taught that, and only that, right?”

Lance nodded. “That’s why we learned the ‘presenting’ pose; it has the Omega with their butt raised, offering their body for their Alpha, and it’s supposed to be better for impregnation, for both male and female Omegas.”

“Well, penetrative sex is just one of many sexual acts; I think it would be pretty intense for someone’s first time, so let’s wait on that for now.”

“Sounds good.” Lance looked relieved at that.

“Some simpler options would be oral sex, or a handjob, which is like masturbating each other.”

“And then of course, there’s the whole bonding and scenting process, too…” Lance said, rubbing his neck thoughtfully. “When should we do that?”  

“We could do it today,” Shiro said, his eyes falling on that spot on Lance’s neck, “but I’ve heard that bonding for the first time during a heat can be really pleasurable. Do you know if that’s true?”

Lance tapped a finger against his chin. “Hmm… at the Sanctuary, I know that price of Omegas goes up the closer they are to their next heat. I remember wondering why, but it must be because they want Alphas to pay more to wait a shorter amount of time until their Omega’s next heat, when bonding for the first time would be the most intense.”

“We met at the Sanctuary a little over five months ago. So, you must have recently finished your last heat, right?”

“Like, two weeks prior, yeah! You got me for a great deal, actually!”

“You were certainly worth every penny…” After a beat, Shiro shrugged. “…Of the money my parents had given me to visit the Sanctuary and pick someone out.”

Lance smirked. “Aw, I’m flattered. So, back to the question at hand: it might be nice to wait to bond until my heat starts.”

“Sure. I can wait three more days until I get to make you _completely_ mine…”

“Remember: ‘patience yields focus!’” Lance said, proud to use Shiro’s words back to him. His eyes wandered downward a moment and he appeared to be chewing the inside of his lip. “Wanna get undressed?”

“I do. Then we can continue this conversation properly.”

Smiling, Lance stood up from the bed and slipped his t-shirt over his head and started to untie his sweatpants, but then paused.

“Oh… I guess that wasn’t very sexy, huh?”

Still seated on the bed, Shiro scooted to the edge so that he was right in front of Lance’s torso; reaching out to touch it, he dragged a hand from the base of his stomach up to his shoulder blades. He had seen Lance shirtless before – they were housemates, after all – but never this close, so he was able to appreciate every detail, close-up. Freckles were scattered over his skin from his childhood spent in the Cuban sun. 

“Hmm, pretty sexy, actually.”

Shiro could tell Lance had gained a bit of weight since moving in with him, which he was glad for, since Horotari had kept their residents on the slender side. Even so, he still retained the physique of a lifelong swimmer and surfer, particularly evidenced by the two shallow grooves on either side of his abdomen peeking out from beneath his underwear.

Taking off his shirt, as well, Shiro was about to join Lance in standing and take off his own pajama pants, when Lance suddenly settled down on top of him, straddling his lap. Feeling Lance’s legs around him, Shiro had to swallow, but he found his throat had gone dry.

“I’ve been waiting to touch these pecs for so long,” he said, tracing his fingers across Shiro’s chest, outlining each muscle. “I bet they’ll make a great pillow- oh!” Eyes widening, Lance looked down. “Is that…?”

“Hmm-mm,” Shiro said, kissing next to Lance’s ear. “I’m already getting hard for you, love.” He grounded upwards slightly, causing Lance to rise and fall with his lower torso. “The friction through fabric can feel good, but let’s finish getting undressed, okay? Otherwise we’ll have a mess on our hands pretty soon.”

As he got up from Shiro’s lap, it took Lance a moment to process that. “Right, because… we might ejaculate in our pajama pants.”

Shiro couldn’t help himself, he had to chuckle at Lance’s word choice. He would have to introduce the word “come” to Lance later.

Moving more slowly now, they both took off their sweatpants and set them in a pile along with their discarded pajama shirts. Lance wore blue, striped boxer-briefs; Shiro didn’t have much time to appreciate their nice fit before Lance was tugging them down. _He’s really not much for strip-teases_ , Shiro thought, _fine by me_. Then he caught sight of Lance’s cock and every other thought went out the window. Long and relatively narrow, it was well proportioned to Lance’s body. It was halfway hard already, as well, and bounced with every slight movement Lance made.

Shiro took a deep breath to steady himself – a mantra of _he’s so gorgeous, every inch of him, God, I’m going to die_ going through his mind _–_ as he quickly removed his own briefs. Kicking them to the side, he stood back up and moved back toward the bed, but Lance intercepted him, so he remained standing.

“Hold on, hold on,” he said, slowly lowering down onto his haunches, until he was facing Shiro’s own cock. “Let me see you.”

Caught by surprise, Shiro’s first assumption was that Lance, because of his training, felt like he was supposed to give Shiro a blowjob. Not wanting Lance’s first sexual experience with another person to be solely giving pleasure without receiving it, Shiro opened his mouth to object.

But then he realized that Lance was not trying to service him, after all: he was admiring him. Lance’s head tilted this way and that, leaning in a few inches closer before withdrawing again, as if to get different angles, his face full of curiosity and wonder. Shiro felt his face redden at the appreciative scrutiny. At last, Lance’s eyes traveled upwards to meet Shiro’s.

“Sorry for staring…” he said, “I’ve just never seen someone else's penis in real life before. And _yours_ , well…” Straightening his legs, he stood again. “I never thought a penis could be so beautiful; I just had to get a closer look.” Lance wrapped his arms around Shiro’s middle. “A-and, just, _all_ of you. Have I ever told you how handsome I think you are? I think about it every day, but I get to tell you now. I still can’t quite believe you’re mine.”

Shiro had never received a compliment quite like that. He didn’t think he was very well-endowed, at least for an Alpha: decent width, but average length, and while he had to stay in shape for space missions, he had never considered himself especially good looking. But Lance’s words… and the way he looked at Shiro…

“Thank you. I… I really appreciate that,” Shiro finally said. Without even thinking, he shifted his stance a bit, and as the two of them were standing so close together, their cocks brushed.

Lance’s gaze jolted downward and he gasped in response. “Whoa…”

“Like that, hmm?” Taking his hands in his own, Shiro drew Lance back to the bed. “That’s called frottage, where we just rub our cocks against each other; it’s another relatively simple sex position. We could try it, if you’d-” And suddenly, Lance was settling down in Shiro’s lap again, like he had been before they had gotten undressed. Shiro grinned. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes.’”

With both knees planted on the mattress on either side of Shiro, Lance wrapped his arms around Shiro’s neck, as if to say he was ready. Starting out, the angle felt a little awkward, so Shiro adjusted them slightly. He touched Lance’s cock for the first time; straining upwards by now, it bobbed at the contact and a bead of pre-cum leaked from the blooming head. Once they were more comfortable, Shiro canted his hips forward so that their cocks slotted together, gently, slowly, so that Lance could get used to the sensation. Feeling Lance grow restless on top of him after a few moments, Shiro figured it was time to move on; he wrapped his hands around both their lengths, causing Lance to moan against his shoulder.

Slowly rocking forward, Shiro set an easy pace for Lance to meet him. He sucked in a breath as their cocks pressed together, and he held onto Lance tighter, as if Lance was going to vanish. He needed to ground himself, to remember that Lance was solid, real, here, that this was really happening. Reaching around his head, Lance slid a hand up into Shiro’s hair, exploratory at first, and then harder, seeking more pressure, something to hold on to. Maybe he felt the same way Shiro did.

Their hips moved in a delicious push and pull, fitting together as if they had been tailor-made. It felt new and exhilarating and right. Shiro could feel their lengths sliding together as Lance rocked into his hand, his skin warm and soft. Lance moved down to mouth wetly at his neck, sucking hard.

“Lance,” Shiro panted, the word becoming a moan, and Lance was moaning too, soft mewling noises that Shiro instantly adored and wanted to hear forever. Encouraged by the response, Shiro squeezed his hand more tightly around their cocks.

“Sh-Shiro,” Lance breathed, thrusting harder into Shiro’s hand. “Shiro! I-I need…” He pulled his arms tighter behind Shiro’s head, making their embrace closer; gasping, Lance’s stomach tightened against Shiro’s, the muscles in his thighs tensing where his legs were still wrapped around Shiro.

After kissing sloppily up his neck, Shiro licked into the wet heat of Lance’s mouth as he stroked them more frantically. He was getting close. Lance moaned into his mouth, his hand scrabbling at Shiro’s back as his movements became jerky, losing their rhythm.

“Lance,” Shiro gasped, “yes, that’s it, my love, let go for me,” and Lance cried out, shuddering as he came, his eyes closed and his mouth open, his body curling forward. Holding him steady, Shiro could feel his spill hot against his own stomach, and he bit his own lip, amazed by how the sight of that only sent him closer to the edge. He stroked Lance through his orgasm, until Lance was breathing hard against his shoulder, and then kept going by himself for only a few more seconds before he came as well, Lance’s name tumbling from his lips.

Shiro became vaguely aware that Lance was kissing him, touching him softly and whispering words that Shiro can’t quite understand at the moment. His eyes had fallen closed at some point, so he forced them open again. Knowing Lance would be feeling sensitive, Shiro tenderly raised Lance off of his lap and eased him down onto the bed before lying next to him. After grabbing a few tissues from his nightstand to use for cleanup, Shiro rolled back over. He got his head situated on his pillow and watched as Lance’s heaving chest eventually slowed down.

“You okay?” Shiro whispered into the silence, a little concerned.

“More than.” Lance turned his head to face him. “Did… did you, er… did that feel good?” he asked, hesitance sneaking into his voice.

Within that question, Shiro heard others: _“did I do it right? Did I make you feel good? Would you want to do this again?”_ He wanted to dispel any doubts Lance might have been having.

“Oh, Lance, _my_ Lance,” he murmured, moving to decrease the distance between them. “That was incredible, it really was. Because it was with _you_. It could have been awkward or clumsy, or one of us could have farted or gotten a cramp - and it would have been fine, it still would have been perfect, because we were doing it together. Okay?”

As he spoke, Lance buried his face into Shiro’s chest, and as Shiro encircled his arms around him, he heard him swallow thickly.

“The Sanctuary didn’t teach us much about sex,” Lance said quietly, “but it’s kind of hard to forget that general mindset of ‘you have to please your Alpha, no matter what,’ so I…” Lance didn’t finish the sentence, but he didn’t need to.

“I know, I know…” Shiro cooed into the top of his head. “You don’t have to worry about that. You already make me so happy, just by being you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks so much for reading! You all are great! <3


	17. A Spotify Playlist!

Hey everyone! I didn't quite get the next chapter finished for this week due to Hurricane Florence (we're all fine in my area!). I did want to share a Spotify playlist of songs that remind me of this fic or Shance in general. I'll be adding it to it as the fic progresses, but feel free to contribute songs, too!

[Click here to listen!](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/62c8VOMXWVGFpspkHhipsZ)

The next chapter will be coming soon. Thanks, as always, for your support and encouragement. 

-WonderWhisp 


	18. Chapter 18

Except for meals, the two of them spent a good portion of the weekend in bed. They were content to just snuggle, talk, nap, and watch Netflix. They made love a few more times, but they were often more interested in just exploring each other’s bodies.

“We’re going to have to save some stamina for my heat, after all!” Lance pointed out that Sunday afternoon, beaming excitedly at the prospect.

“I’m glad you’re looking forward to it now.”

“Of course, I am! I have a wonderful Alpha to spend it with!”

As he had been planning to stay in a hotel during Lance’s heat before, Shiro had not requested the time off of work; now that they were couple, however, Shiro contacted the Garrison to let them know he would be taking Tuesday through Friday of that week off. Fortunately, his supervisor and coworkers were relatively flexible. Lance had said he didn’t need to take the entire week off – maybe just a day or two – but Shiro insisted; it was Lance’s first heat they would spend together, after all, and he knew he wouldn’t want to leave Lance during that time unless absolutely necessary.

 

* * *

 

When Monday morning came, Shiro woke up early to the alarm he had set with the volume turned down low, planning on making a romantic breakfast-in-bed for Lance before they had to get ready to go to the Garrison. But, after rolling over, Shiro saw Lance was no longer in bed.

“Where…?” he murmured sleepily. Lance always slept as late as he could on days he had classes. 

As it was about half an hour until sunrise, the kitchen was dark except for the light over the stove. Lance stood there, frying bacon, his hair a mess from sleeping and still wearing his pajamas; he had gone to sleep the night before shirtless but must have put on his pajama shirt to protect himself the bacon splatter. Shiro approached him from behind and, from the angle he came at, he knew Lance had seen him, so he wasn’t taken by surprise. Wrapping his arms around his waist from behind, Shiro pressed a kiss behind Lance’s left ear.

“I was going to make breakfast for _you_.”

“You have to wake up pretty early in the morning to surprise me!”

Shiro looked at him askance. “Not true; you’re not a morning person.”

“Well, you’re going to be doing enough to help me this week during my heat; this is the least I can do.”

Lance turned his head to the left to capture Shiro’s lips. The kiss couldn’t last long, as Lance was keeping a close eye on the bacon.

“I hope you don’t need to move around the kitchen any time soon.” Resting his chin on Lance’s shoulder, Shiro tightened his hold around Lance’s torso.

“Well, I _was_ going to make us some oatmeal, too, since it looks like it’ll be a rainy day today,” Lance said as he set a pot of water to boil.

“Gotcha.”

Loosening one arm from the embrace, Shiro reached into the nearby cupboard that held the bowls. Unfortunately, the oatmeal was in the pantry, about a half dozen paces away. Shiro let go of Lance, dashed across the kitchen, and grabbed it as quickly as he could. Taking the box from him, Lance laughed and thanked him.

Returning to his earlier stance, Shiro began to kiss down Lance’s neck, beginning at his nape. He breathed in deeply, his five senses narrowing down to his olfactory system for a moment.

“You smell so good,” he said, nosing around to the side of Lance’s neck, as well. “ _Too_ good. I almost don’t want you going to the Garrison today.”

“I’m going to wear scent blockers on my neck, remember?” Lance said, adding the oatmeal to the boiling pot of water on the stovetop. “They won’t cover my scent entirely, but it should be enough.”

“Mm, still. I might hire Instructor Dayak to be your bodyguard for the day.” 

“I only have my one Monday class and I’m just working three hours for the morning shift at the café so that I won’t get too tired. I’ll be home by 1300; I’ll be fine!”

The oatmeal was soon done cooking; Lance poured some into each of the two bowls. Shiro reluctantly let go of Lance so that they could prepare their oatmeal the way they liked it; Lance added peanut butter to his bowl, while Shiro left his plain save for a pinch of cinnamon. They brought the bowls and the plate of bacon over to the kitchen table.

“You know, I was planning on doing breakfast-in-bed for you, before you beat me to the kitchen,” Shiro said, pausing on his way over. “Want to take this upstairs? We have time before we need to leave.”

Lance sat down at his usual seat. “Nah; if we get back in bed now, I’m just going to be tempted to go back to sleep, or make out with you!”

 

* * *

 

“So, what will you be doing today, before your little vacation starts?” Lance asked as they got into Shiro’s car.

“The prep work for that mission to Mars with the second-year cadets is just about finished on my end, so I’ll just be wrapping up a few loose ends; I’ll wait until next week to start work on any new projects. The timing of your heat is pretty convenient, actually.”

“Aha, just the way I planned it!” Lance joked.

“You have that presentation in your Russian Language class today, right?”

“ _Da,_ ” Lance said with a nod. “My group and I worked pretty hard on it, so I think it’ll go pretty well. My astrodynamics class is starting a new unit tomorrow but I’ve done most of the reading for it already and Instructor Jackson gave me the notes for this week’s presentations.”

“Great job working ahead!” Shiro said, smiling at him. “I know that’ll help you stay caught up.”

They arrived at the Garrison after a few minutes. Before going their separate ways for the day, they hugged in the parking lot. Neither of them were looking forward to spending time apart after their weekend full of intimate quality time and with Lance’s heat so close, but there was no helping it. Pulling back, Shiro cupped Lance’s face in both hands, before his fingers brushed against the small, rubber pads of Lance’s scent blockers on either side of his neck.

“Are they comfortable?” he asked, the material feeling unnatural on Lance’s smooth skin.

“They’re fine, really, Shiro. It’ll only be for five hours; it’s safe to wear them for up to eight.”

“I’ll have my phone with me all day. If an Alpha even looks at you weird, call or text me and I can be with you within minutes.”

“ _Thank you,_ ” Lance said with a tone of exaggerated patience, though Shiro could tell he was amused at his protective fussing. “My friends know my heat is due tomorrow, so they’re all watching my back. I’ll be _fine_.”

Lance gave Shiro one more kiss, turned, and started walking through the parking lot before Shiro could continue to dote over him. If he hadn’t been specifically looking, Shiro could have easily missed the flirty sway of Lance’s hips as he walked, a subtle performance just for Shiro. Tearing his eyes away from the sight, Shiro grabbed his work satchel and travel coffee mug, locked the car, and headed into the Garrison as well, trying to get Lance out of his mind: the very faint scent Shiro could still pick up on, the feel of his lips against his own. As the front door of the Garrison opened at Shiro’s approach, he thought, _this is going to be a long day_.

 

* * *

 

The main reason that Shiro made it through that workday was that he was going to be able to see Lance during lunch, which was an uncommon occurrence, due to their schedules. They had made plans to meet with their mutual friends at Sal’s Café for lunch, which would help make Shiro’s unbearably (at least, to him) long workday easier.

As soon as the clock turned from 1159 to 1200, Shiro nearly dashed out of his office chair. He met Sam in the hall, as their offices were near each other. Shiro had not told Sam about his and Lance’s new relationship yet – he hadn’t told anyone – so it was everything he could do to not let the news immediately spill out as they made small talk on their way to lunch.

Upon arriving at Sal’s, Shiro was relieved to see Lance and his coworkers were not very busy with customers; most people were on their way to the cafeteria for lunch. Unsurprisingly, Sal was not there, but Hunk had said it would be fine for them to have a little get-together during the lunch hour. As the simulator classrooms were near the cafeteria, Coran had volunteered to stop by on his way over to pick up sandwiches for everyone; he and Shay were just then unwrapping them.

“Hey, Shiro and Commander Holt!” Hunk called when he saw them. “You’re just on time!”

He served the last customer in line their bagel before putting the “closed” sign up on the counter. Lance and Keith were arranging eight chairs and two of the small café tables so that they could all sit together. As Shiro walked toward them, he immediately felt the desire to be near Lance – hear his voice, scent him, hug him, kiss him, just feel his skin somehow – but he held himself back. _I can’t ruin the surprise for everyone else,_ he told himself.

“Before you say anything, Lance insisted on helping arrange the furniture,” Keith told Shiro.

“My heat hasn’t started yet; I’m not completely helpless!”

Shiro chuckled. “Of course not.” As Lance put the last chair in place, Shiro asked him, “Doing okay?”

“Yep…” Lance looked like he was about to make a beeline for Shiro, before checking himself and staying put. _He must feel the same way I do_ , Shiro thought. As if to change the subject (though no one had been talking), he asked Sam, “Katie coming?”

“She will be getting out of class any minute, I believe,” he said, then looked toward the cadet longue door. “Ah, there she is now, and Allura, too!”

The two young women wrapped up their conversation with a shared laugh. Upon seeing them, Shay ran out from behind the counter to hug Katie, then extended a hand toward Allura for a handshake. Shay may have been an astrogeology major, but her friends knew Shay looked up to Allura as her hero and a fellow woman in science.

“Great to see you, Katie, a-and Dr. Altea,” she said with a nervous smile as they sat down at the table.

“Allura, please,” Allura said kindly as they finished their handshake. “Shay Balmeran, right?”

Shay nodded excitedly. “Yes! I came to the clinic last year after getting my finger caught between two rocks. All better now!” She held up her hand to show Allura. “Is it true that you finished med school at age 23?! You’re amazing!”

“Yep!” Katie said, answering for Allura, who flushed at the compliment. “Allura’s a genius!”

“Oh, well, I don’t know about _that_ …”

As Shay, Allura, and Katie continued to talk, Coran arranged the sandwiches from the cafeteria on large platter and brought it over to the table. Hunk carried a tray of cups of water – “On the house!” he announced with a grin – and passed them out to everyone as they were seated.

“So, are you guys going to tell us, or…?” Katie pointedly asked Lance and Shiro as she got a sandwich for herself.

“T-tell you what?” Shiro sputtered in surprise.

Katie gave him a look Shiro had seen shot at Matt dozens of times: eyebrow cocked, gaze penetrating. _What is she, a mind reader?_ he thought as everyone else stared in confusion, looking back and forth between Shiro, Lance, and Katie.

“What do you mean, Katie?” Sam asked, taking a bite of his sandwich. Judging by their faces, the others seemed to be thinking the same thing.

Shiro and Lance exchanged glances, before both bursting into laughter.

“We were going to wait a bit, but I guess there’s no point now,” Lance said, shooting a playful glare at Katie.

Coran twirled his mustache. “Wait a bit, for what?”

“Well,” Shiro cleared his throat, trying to suppress the butterflies that were seeking to escape his chest. He glanced at Lance, who nodded encouragingly. “Over the weekend, Lance and I got to talking and, well… we confessed that we have feelings for each other. We’re a couple now!”

There was a beat of silence among them for perhaps a second or two before their six friends all cheered and clapped. Hunk was immediately out of his chair and between Shiro and Lance, hugging them around their shoulders.

“I’m so happy for you guys!” he exclaimed.

The other five were soon on their feet, as well, encircling Shiro and Lance, who remained seated, in a group hug.

“Well, it’s about time!” Coran laughed.

“You were made for each other!” Allura said.

“I knew you had a crush on him, Lance! I knew it!” Shay squealed, tousling Lance’s hair.

Surrounded by more boisterous people, Keith’s voice was the quietest, but Shiro, accustomed to listening for it, heard him say, “Congratulations, guys.”

As everyone settled down and returned to their chairs, Shiro felt Sam’s hand remain on his back; turning toward him, the two men smiled warmly at each other.

“Thank you for everything,” Shiro said, just loud enough for Sam to hear.

“Best of luck to you,” Sam said with a wink.

“Katie, how did you know about us?” Lance asked as he resumed eating. "We're waiting until my heat starts to bond, so..."

She shrugged. “Something was just different about you today. You’re usually in a good mood, but today you were just, like, _extra_ happy.”

“He _was_ dancing around the kitchen, humming love songs…” Shay pointed out.

“And now that you mention it,” Hunk said, his eyes looking up in thought, “I’m pretty sure Lance said Shiro’s name like 30 times in the first two hours of his shift.” Looking to Shiro, he continued, “I mean, he talks about you all the time, but this morning, he just wouldn’t shut up.”

“Exactly,” Katie said. “Then Shiro walked in and I could tell something had changed between the two of them. You’re both open books, but especially you, Lance.”

Lance huffed; his friends obviously knew him well.

“Now, Keith, I know you and Shiro go way back,” he said. “Go ahead and give me the ‘If you break his heart, I’ll kill you’ speech.”

Keith tilted his head. “Why would I do that? I know you, Lance; you wouldn’t break his heart, not on purpose.”

“Oh. Well… thank you.” Lance appeared to be confused, but flattered, at Keith’s confidence in him. “I promise to take good care of him.”

Lance laced his fingers with Shiro’s. Brief as it was, the exchange between his mate and one of his oldest friends touched Shiro’s heart. They leaned in for a chaste kiss, which was quickly interrupted by Katie making a gagging sound.

“Do you mind? We’re trying to eat here!” she said, rolling her eyes. “Geeze, I almost miss the old days when you two were pretending to not flirt with each other whenever Shiro visited the café.”

Allura tut-tutted at her. “Oh, let them have their fun, Katie.”

“Have you told Matt yet?” Hunk asked Shiro.

“I was going to, but he can’t keep a secret, so I was going to wait until I told you all, first!”

“He’s been so swamped getting ready for that upcoming Mars mission,” Sam said, “your happy news will give him a much-needed boost!”

“Anyway,” Shiro said after taking a sip of water, “we just wanted you guys to be the first to know about us, and to say thanks for everything you’ve done. Sam, Allura, Coran: you guys were such a huge help in getting Lance back into the Garrison.”

“And Hunk, Shay, Keith, and Katie,” Lance said, turning towards them, “you made me feel welcome when I didn’t know anyone around other than Shiro.”

“You’re very welcome,” Sam said with a nod. “I think I can speak for everyone when I say it’s been a pleasure to watch the two of you grow closer.”

Coran leaned back in his chair. “Yep! Though we didn’t think it would take you _this_ long to figure out your feelings for each other!”

Shiro and Lance smirked at each other. _Of course, they all figured we would get together eventually_ , Shiro thought.

“Well, enough about us,” Lance said. “What’s new with you guys?”

The eight friends spent the remaining twenty minutes of their lunch catching up with each other, as well as getting to know each other, as the cadets and the adults didn’t know each other very well. The brief acquaintanceship and age differences didn’t seem to matter; they got along very well, and before long, were talking like old friends. When worlds collide, it can often be awkward, so Shiro was thankful that Lance and his friend groups merged almost seamlessly. As they all chatted, Shiro and Lance’s hands remained together and their eyes met every few minutes; Shiro could feel the joy radiating from Lance, being surrounded by friendship and love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I always enjoy hearing from you, my lovely readers! :)


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the silence lately! Things are getting busier at university, so I have to limit my time writing fanfiction. But don't worry, I definitely want to keep this fic going!
> 
> Also, a note about this AU: oral birth control taken by any of the dynamics is much more effective than in real life, especially when both people in a relationship are taking it. When birth control is being taken, condoms are only used to prevent STDs. Remember, in real life, use birth control and condoms together to prevent unwanted pregnancies and STDs!

Once Lance’s last class of the day ended at 1300, Shiro finished up his work and they left the Garrison together. Most Mondays, Lance would usually go to target practice in the flight simulators with some friends after class if he wasn’t scheduled to work, but this was no ordinary Monday. Shiro wanted Lance to get home as soon as possible.

On their way home, though, Shiro realized that, with everything that had happened over the weekend, they had forgotten to go grocery shopping, both for normal groceries and for extra supplies and fun snacks for Lance’s heat.

“May as well go now, so that we don’t have to go out later,” Lance said.

So Shiro pulled into the grocery store parking lot; once he parked, they both reached for their own car doors, before Lance paused.

“Do you, um… should I stay in the car…?”

“Whatever you feel comfortable with, love. I don’t want to tell you what to do.”

Lance rubbed the scent blocker on the right side of his neck. “Well, I feel safer with you.”

Shiro nodded; he felt better that way, too.

“We don’t need much; it’ll be in-and-out.”

Shiro pulled up the shopping list app that they both used on his phone to double check that it had everything they planned on buying, calling off each item for Lance to confirm.

“Anything else you need for your heat?” Shiro asked, once they had reached the end of the list.

“I have plenty of birth control pills; I usually start taking it, like, two weeks before my heat starts so that it has time to kick in to make it less intense.” He went silent; Shiro looked up from the shopping list to see Lance looking a bit nervous. “And… er, do you want to get condoms, for you know… whenever we do anal sex?”

Shiro blinked in surprise.

“I have some at home, if you want to use them. The Garrison has officers get tested every six months during our health exams and I’ve always been negative. If we decide to not use them, I can start taking birth control, as well, just to be on the safe side. It’s entirely your call; I’m happy either way.”

Lance considered, then gave him a soft smile. “Well, we _are_ going to be mates, in every sense of the word, now. I know I can trust you.” Then he laughed. “And I remember learning at Horotari that Alphas’ ejaculate can help balance Omegas’ hormones during heats.”

Shiro laughed, too. “Well, every little bit helps!” 

 

* * *

 

While they shopped, Lance talked about how his day at the Garrison had gone: a funny interaction between Keith and a customer at Sal’s, something interesting his professor had said, a topic he was considering writing about for an upcoming research paper. Shiro’s day had been pretty uneventful, but Lance still wanted all the details; as Shiro pushed their shopping cart, Lance looped his arm through Shiro’s and rested his head on his shoulder as he listened to him.

“Lunch today with our friends was really great, huh?” Shiro said once he had run out things about his day to tell Lance.

Lance added a bag of apples to their cart. “Yeah, it was! That was the perfect way to tell everyone about us getting together. And it was also like a mini going-away party for us, before taking the week off for my heat.”

“Speaking of… your heat could start, like, any time now. Are you feeling any different yet?”

Lance shrugged. “Not really. Normally, I get some abdominal cramps leading up to my heat, and then I start to get really aroused. Although last week…” Lance suddenly flushed. “Er, never mind.”

Shiro wasn’t going to press Lance to say what was on his mind – if he didn’t feel comfortable telling him something, Shiro could understand that. But after a few moments, Lance seemed to change his mind. When he did speak, his voice was quieter; the aisle they were on was empty, but he was probably just being careful.

“I… actually used to think about you during my heats and whenever I… you know…”

Shiro bit back a grin; he knew _exactly_ what Lance was referring to. “You did, did you?” he asked, the volume of his voice matching Lance’s.

“Yeah. B-but it wasn’t ever anything weird, just usually your face and voice.” Lance pulled a box of cereal off the shelf and began to closely inspect the back, avoiding Shiro’s eye. “But last week… my fantasies got a lot more specific, like my imagination went wild. With my heat coming up, I couldn’t help but think of us together, about you helping me through it. That happened a few times, and I was really embarrassed afterwards; masturbating to the general idea of you was one thing, but actually imagining us… _doing_ things together…”

He deposited the cereal box in their cart and walked on ahead; as Shiro followed him, he could tell he was embarrassed. Shiro wanted to even things out. 

“I have a bit of a confession, too, actually,” he said, pushing the cart a little faster to catch up. Lance looked over his shoulder, an eyebrow raised. “A few days before we got together – Thursday night of last week, I think – I couldn’t sleep, so I went to go exercise. When I was in the hall outside your room, I heard you saying my name; at first, I thought you were calling out for help, but then I realized you were moaning my name.”

“Oh, _no!_ ” Lance laughed, covering his mouth.

“I was _mortified_ and went right back to my room. I tried to rationalize why you would have been moaning my name, other than you having feelings for me, which I didn’t allow myself to even hope. Your heat was coming up, so I figured your hormones were already starting to act up and you just said the first name that came to mind.” 

“Well, I definitely didn’t pick your name at random. It was the first name to come to mind: the first and only…” As they walked side by side, Lance walked on his toes a few paces to reach up and kiss Shiro’s cheek. “And now I get to moan your name as much as I want, without trying to keep quiet.”

Shiro grinned. “Wait, you were _trying_ to keep quiet that night?”

“Oh, shut up!” 

 

* * *

 

The moment they closed the front door behind them, Lance pulled the scent blockers off of his neck.

“Ahh, much better!” he said, rubbing his scent glands.

Shiro smelled the air as Lance’s scent began to fill it once again. “I’ll say!”

After greeting Natsu – who sniffed at their grocery bags inquisitively – they headed into the kitchen and started putting their groceries away. The refrigerator and pantry were fuller than usual, with the extra snacks they had gotten to make the week more enjoyable: their “heat treats,” as Lance liked to call them. He stored the two containers of ice cream – moose tracks and Neapolitan – in the freezer, handling them delicately; they were his favorite, after all.

“So…” Shiro said, storing their reusable grocery bags in the pantry, “I’ve been thinking about what you said, about how you used to think about me to get off. What were you thinking about last week, that made you moan that way?”

Leaning back against one of the kitchen counters, Lance’s eyes glanced upward as he remembered back. “Thursday night, right? I think I was imagining you holding me up against a wall…” He suddenly looked a bit bashful. “…O-or something like that.”

“Oh, really…? Well, that can be arranged.”

Shiro swiftly approached Lance, until their faces were only an inch apart; yelping in pleasant surprise, Lance took a few backward paces, with Shiro following closely. He backed up into the wall shared between the kitchen and living room. Planting his forearms on the wall on either side of Lance’s head, Shiro leaned in and captured his lips. He felt Lance gasp against him.

“Something like this?” Shiro breathed when their mouths briefly parted.

“You were lifting me up…” Lance managed, “holding me up with your arms underneath my kne- ahh!”

Shiro shifted to meet the description from Lance’s fantasy. Bending down a bit to get a better grasp, Shiro raised Lance up, supporting his weight as he leaned back against the wall for balance. Lance wrapped his legs around Shiro’s back, pulling him even closer, before he crushed their mouths together again. The combination of Lance’s scent, stronger than it had been earlier, and their close proximity after a day without much intimate touching was enough to bring Shiro to an erection. Only a few seconds went by before he felt Lance grow hard against him, as well.

Suddenly, Lance gasped again, but it sounded somehow different this time. He broke off their kiss and looked at Shiro, dazed.

“What…?” Shiro began.

“My heat just started early. Getting turned on so suddenly must have triggered it.”

Shiro swallowed, a bit nervous, but mostly excited.

“Right, okay, let’s get you upstairs to our room,” Shiro said quickly, loosening his hold on Lance’s body, “I know you’ll want to start scenting our bed and making a nest and-”

“That can wait a bit,” Lance murmured. “Lift one of your legs up, between my thighs…?”

Shiro did as requested, placing his right knee against the wall with an arm around Lance’s waist. He suddenly felt dampness from Lance’s crotch. Slick had begun to flow down Lance’s legs, through his jeans; the scent of it and of his arousal were heavy in the air. The smell, combined with the heady essence from his scent gland, was the most divine aroma to ever enter Shiro’s nose; his mouth instantly began to water. The evidence of Lance's lust stained Shiro's knee where he had pushed it under his ass as Lance grinded down, seeking simulation against where he was most needy.

Leaning back, Shiro saw that Lance’s pupils were blown wide, and his lips were swollen and parted, a high flush in his cheeks. He looked amazed, excited, the definition of seduction, and Shiro was stunned that he got to see this, that Lance was sharing this, this trust and vulnerability, with him: stunned, and deeply honored. Lance found Shiro’s free hand and laced their fingers together. He wanted Shiro to see him, to watch the way his eyelashes fluttered and his chest trembled.

Shiro dipped his head to kiss Lance’s neck, wanting to mark him up, prove that he had been claimed, first by love bites, then later by his bond mark. He matched the heightened pace; Lance keened, his head falling back as Shiro sucked insistently on his neck, leaving several beautiful red marks.

“Sh-Shiro… Shiro! Ah… fuck… fuck me…”

This was the first time Shiro had heard Lance say “fuck”; Lance hardly ever used coarse language, so it sounded a bit odd, but Shiro also found it incredibly hot.

“Not here; you need to be somewhere more comfortable for your first time taking my cock,” Shiro said, kissing along Lance’s jaw. “But until then…”

He reached a hand down to unbutton and unzip Lance’s jeans to allow his cock to spring out, aching upward, now fully hard. He gripped it at the base, tugging upward with a slight spiral, only just grazing the head.

“Just consider this a preview of what’s to come…” Shiro spoke slowly, matching his words to the stroke of his hand. “This is going to be your best heat ever… I’ll be here for you every moment… I’m going to take such good care of you, baby…”

Groaning, Lance straightened his back flat against the wall, clutching about Shiro’s neck and upper back, before spurts of white stained both his and Shiro’s shirts. He slumped forward, and Shiro easily caught him. Once Lance had caught his breath, Shiro straightened out his leg that had been pressed to the wall and helped Lance back onto his own two feet.

“Your pants…” Lance said, noticing the stain on Shiro’s knee. “Sorry… Oh, and our shirts, too-”

“Shh, it’s fine,” Shiro soothed, kissing his forehead, “they can all be washed. I’m gonna grab some supplies real fast and then we can go up to our room. Can you walk?”

Having just come and with his heat starting out of the blue, Lance was a bit wobbly on his feet, so he shook his head in answer. Shiro supported him with an arm around his torso and led him back into the kitchen. Letting Lance lean on the nearest countertop to let him catch his breath, Shiro quickly grabbed his and Lance’s insulated water bottles from the cupboard, filled them with cold water, and put them in an empty grocery bag along with a few apples and granola bars.

As he collected the supplies, Shiro’s persistent erection made it a bit difficult to walk, serving as a constant reminder from his Alpha side: _the heat has begun, time to take care of Omega, to make him mine, to bond, and scent, and breed_ \- Shiro quickly disregarded those feelings, focusing on the logistics, getting from point A to point B. He didn’t know how long it would be before Lance had long enough of a break between heatwaves to have an actual meal, so they would need to keep their energy up in the meantime. 

Gathering Lance in his arms to take him upstairs, Shiro realized he had no idea what the week had in store for them, but he was more than ready to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Your comments and kudos are what keep me writing! :)


	20. Chapter 20

Shiro could not have anticipated how difficult it would be to get Lance up the stairs. He tried to pick him up and carry him bridal style like he had done in the past, but Lance wasn’t having it. He kept nosing at Shiro’s neck, seeking to get at his scent gland at any angle possible. While he had just come a few minutes ago, that initial heatwave apparently had not been fully quenched yet.

“Sh-Shirooo,” he moaned into Shiro’s adam’s apple. They were still on the second stair of the staircase. “Bedroom…”

“I know, baby, I know,” Shiro said, trying to coax him to move forward. “We need to get upstairs first…”

It was a painstaking endeavor, but Shiro couldn’t bring himself to be annoyed. It reminded Shiro of how Natsu would beg him to play fetch while refusing to let the ball out of her mouth. While he was more clearheaded than Lance, Shiro felt his eagerness.

When they finally arrived at their bedroom door, Lance all but dragged Shiro inside. Their bed was already piled with every pillow and blanket from around the house, as Lance had known he would have the strong urge to nest once his heat started.

“N-now… now can we…?” he asked hopefully.

Shiro set the bag of snacks and water on top of his nightstand so it would be within easy reach later.

“Yep; we’ve got everything we need,” he assured, helping Lance tug his shirt up his torso and over his head.

Lance was the first to be completely undressed; as Shiro offered a hand to support him as he stepped out of his jeans, Lance’s skin was hot to the touch. Being nude at last must have been a huge relief for him. If Shiro had thought Lance’s scent had been strong before, it had at least doubled now that his clothes were no longer in the way. Getting onto the bed, Lance collected some pillows and bunched some blankets together, but Shiro could tell he was too impatient to do much nesting at the moment. He then laid down on his stomach and his fingers instantly found his asshole, where his natural anal lubrication glistened down his thighs. Spellbound at the sight, Shiro could only watch Lance rub himself for several moments, his brain only partially functioning, before a loud moan brought him back to reality. He quickly finished undressing, his momentarily-forgotten erection coming back to life.

“I think you’d prefer my cock there, right?” he teased, joining Lance on the bed.

“I n-need it, I need…”

“And I’m going to give it you, Lance. As much as you need, I promise.” Shiro slid his hands underneath Lance to encourage him to roll over onto his back. Lying there, his wavy hair already stuck to his forehead with sweat, his arms splayed across the pillow, Lance was the picture of sensuality. Everything within Shiro wanted to take him in that moment, but he knew they would have to do some preparation beforehand. “I’m going to open you up first, okay?”

His chest heaving, Lance gave him a look of frustration, but Shiro preempted any argument with a kiss. Lance soon melted into it, wrapping his arms around Shiro’s neck to bring him closer, until Shiro was practically lying on top of Lance, using his arms to support himself.

“I know you’re already so open and wet, but this is your first time doing anal; we can’t just jump into this.”

Shiro inched his way down Lance’s body, kissing the skin of his torso as he went. Arriving at his crotch, he nibbled at Lance’s thighs, purposefully skipping over his swollen member. He ducked his head down further, toward Lance’s balls and perineum, which also dripped with lubrication; after taking a deep inhale, he nibbled at the flesh.

“N-no…” Lance protested, a laugh slipping out at the ticklish sensations, “Shiro, please… just get down to business!”

“Alright, fair enough.” Shiro sat up and gave his belly button one final nip before leaning back on his haunches. “Raise your hips for me? That’s it…” Lance raised his legs and brought them around Shiro’s waist; Shiro grabbed a small, decorative pillow and situated it under Lance to keep his tailbone supported and torso poised upward.

“Did you ever use your fingers during your heats in the past, putting them inside?” he asked as he ran his thumb experimentally over the opening, puckered open with slick. Lance only nodded. “How many did you ever work up to?”

“Two,” Lance murmured. “Tried three one time, but I just couldn’t ge- ahh!”

“Sorry, sorry, was that too fast?” Shiro said, quickly removing the tip of his middle finger.

“No, i-it’s fine. Just so sensitive.”

This was no surprise; the skin surrounding his asshole was a fiery red. Shiro returned his finger to the depth it had been at, then gradually pressed it further.

“You just say the word, and I’ll slow down, or stop.”

Lance titled his hips upward. “I know. Don’t stop. I need to be filled with _something_ if you’re not going to give me your cock yet.”

Shiro nodded, seeing the neediness so plainly in Lance’s eyes. Adding his index finger, he moved his hand steadily deeper, pulling back a few centimeters before pressing back in.

“God, you’re so soft, Lance. It’s like velvet in here.” He chuckled at the lewd squelch of anal lubrication accompanied each little movement. “I can’t wait to see how my cock feels inside…”

At those words, Lance let out a needy cry and bucked his hips upward and to the side, causing Shiro’s fingers to slip out. Shiro gently grabbed his lower abdomen and reangled him.

“Try to stay still, okay? We’re almost done with the prep; just a little more…”

His two fingers resumed their position and he began to separate them in a scissoring motion, encouraging the ring of muscle to loosen. Lance’s body didn’t need much convincing, but Shiro wanted to make absolutely sure he was open. He bent his head down and licked his way up Lance’s cock, sliding two fingers down along his perineum, eliciting a sharp gasp from Lance. He pressed back further, circling his fingers over Lance’s slick-soaked entrance.

“Shiro,” Lance moaned, his voice high with need.

Shiro breached Lance’s entrance again, his fingers sliding deep.

“So wet,” he murmured, before dipping his head lower to lap with light teasing strokes at the slick that seeped from the sensitive flesh of Lance’s hole, stretched taut around his fingers. Lance trembled and pushed back against him. “Can you take a third finger?”

“I want your _cock_!” Lance insisted, clenching his muscles are around Shiro’s fingers. “I’m ready!”

“Okay. Let me hear you, then. What do you want?”  

Lance met his gaze, eyes blazing. “I need you. Fill me, knot me. Fuck me, Shiro.”

Shiro kissed him deeply before he lined up and did just as Lance asked, pressing his cock inside, hot and ready and so very wet. Throwing his head back on his pillow, Lance cried out in relief. Shiro ran his hands down Lance’s stomach and chest, his hands feeling large on Lance’s slight body, before leaning forward to capture his lips again. Lance curled around him, kissing and nipping anywhere he could reach, panting and rolling his hips up to meet Shiro’s thrusts. He stroked his hand over Lance’s cock; with every little twist of his wrist on the upstroke, Lance pulsed around his cock.

They were near the edge already; Shiro could sense Lance hastening their pace, could feel his urgency in every movement and breath. Indeed, Shiro could feel a certain tightness behind his balls that he had never experienced before, but it could only be one thing.

“You can feel it, can’t you, my knot swelling in you? Ready to lock us together, as one. Are you ready, Lance? This is what you need, isn’t it?”

Lance groaned, “Yes, Shiro, Shiro,” softly chanting his name until it seemed he would never say anything else again. Shaking, he clung to Shiro with every ounce of strength he had. “Your knot, _please_.”

Shiro wasn’t about to refuse him. He drove in harder and then held Lance close as he felt his knot expand to its fullest. Even if he’d wanted to, he couldn’t have pulled out, could hardly move an inch forward or backward, so he just rocked their hips together.

“That’s it,” Shiro murmured. “Let go, my love. I’ve got you.”

He quickened the pace of his hand around Lance’s cock and the rocking of his hips and then they were coming together, Lance clamping down deliciously on his knot. Shiro heaved a shout, the sensation of emptying himself into Lance unlike anything he could have imagined. In that moment, Lance’s face looked absolutely radiant; if he wasn’t already panting, the vision of the angel before him would have stolen Shiro’s breath away.

Then there was a strong pressure, before his knot entered Lance, sealing him completely. The sensation took some getting used to for both of them, but Shiro had never felt more at home than he did there, connected so intimately with his mate.

“I… I’m going to give you my bond-mark now, okay?” Shiro said, though his voice came out as a rasp.

He waited until he saw Lance nod his head in understanding before leaning down, covering him with the length of his body, though he refrained from moving too much to avoid jostling the knot. So much of this was new to Shiro – he had never knotted or bonded with anyone before – and he was terrified of hurting Lance in any way, but once his eyes fell on Lance’s neck, he somehow knew what he was supposed to do. For once, the Alpha part of his brain was actually helpful.

Shiro’s lips left a row of kisses across the skin of his right collarbone and neck, then over to the scent gland behind his ear. His tongue swiped lightly over the spot and he felt Lance shiver beneath him. Lance turned his head to the side, exposing his neck even more.

A breathy whimper escaped Lance, “Alpha… my Alpha…”

Shiro licked his lips, which had suddenly gone dry at the sight. _Just… just bite down_ , he coached himself, then, trying to not overthink it, sunk his teeth in Lance’s neck. The taste of coppery blood filled his mouth; it shocked Shiro, but he couldn’t let go. At the sudden contact, a loud whine reverberated at the back of Lance’s throat.

“Sh-Shiro!” Lance began, the exclamation dissolving into a shudder.

Shiro felt him jerk with a second orgasm, his asshole contracting almost painfully around his knot. Lance’s hands flew around his neck, pulling Shiro as close to himself as possible. Shiro began to lap at the new mark he had created, soothing the ache that he knew must have been settling in. Fortunately, there was not much blood, but Shiro still wanted to care for the skin-deep wound. He leaned back to admire his work; the imprints of his teeth on the long expanse of Lance’s neck set his mouth watering.

“My Omega. _Mine_ ,” he muttered, the words feeling heavy and animalistic on his tongue.

“Yours, Shiro. Yours, forever.”

 

* * *

 

As it turned out, bonding with someone for the first time takes a lot of energy. Shiro had been tired after sex in the past, but the exhaustion he felt then was incomparable. It took about five minutes for his knot to deflate; once it did, his cock slipped out from between Lance’s thighs. He removed the pillow from beneath Lance’s ass, then collapsed next to him. The room had filled with their combined scent; it was almost palpable.

Looking down, Shiro saw the semen gush out of Lance, staining the bedsheets. Lance noticed it, too. Reaching down, he touched his hole and brought his hand up from him to see. With his other hand, he felt his neck, lovingly outlining his bond-mark with his fingers.

“I… I can’t believe it. I’m yours now, in every way.”

Shiro took his hand and linked their fingers together; the slipperiness of his own semen was a bit strange, but it was visible evidence of their mating, so he didn’t mind it.

“Well, my heart has belonged to you for a while. This just makes it official.”

A broad grin lit up Lance’s face. He snuggled into Shiro, his nose finding Shiro’s scent gland effortlessly. Once Lance had gotten a good whiff of him, Shiro adjusted his head so that they could kiss. It was open-mouthed right off the bat, but not nearly as heavy or intense as their kisses from earlier.

“Feeling alright?” Shiro asked against Lance’s lips.

“My brain is still kinda foggy and I think my bones are made out of bendy straws, but other than that, I’m great!” His hand snaked downward to find the base of Shiro’s now-flaccid cock. “Can’t wait to do that again!”

Shiro smiled. “Me too. But I think we should pace ourselves on how much anal sex we have, especially while you’re still getting used to it.” He reached over to the nightstand to grab the snack bag.

“Yeah, I guess…” Lance’s mouth twisted with disappointment. “But there’s still plenty of other stuff we can do, right?”

“Of course.” Shiro put the bag of snacks between them on the bed and handed Lance his water bottle. “Drink up and eat something, please. We need to stay hydrated.” Taking his own water bottle, he stood up from the bed

“And where’re you going?” Lance said indignantly. Sitting up, he walked forward on his knees across the bed so that he could be on eye-level with Shiro.

“I’m going to go walk Natsu since we didn’t go out earlier, and also make sure her food and water bowls are full,” Shiro said as he put on a pair of gym shorts and a t-shirt. “Think you can survive without me for ten minutes?”

Lance melodramatically fell backward onto the bed, placing his hand at his forehead as if he was faint. “Noooo.”

Chuckling, Shiro leaned down to give him a peck on the head before heading to their bedroom door.

He gave Natsu a short walk around the nearest cul-de-sac, taking sips from his water bottle all the way. Using his usual baby-talk voice, he apologized to her that she wouldn’t be seeing much of Lance and him that week, but they would make sure to check in with her at least a few times a day. The crisp, autumn air helped clear his mind. His eyes roaming the familiar street, he realized how much had changed for him and Lance in the last week, and that day alone, while the rest of the world just went on as usual.

 

* * *

 

When Shiro returned to their bedroom, Lance was just finishing off an apple. Sitting on the bed, Shiro was instantly met with a kiss.

“Miss me?” Shiro asked.

“Unbearably.”

Shiro got undressed again and set the casual clothes on top of his dresser for easy access in the future. Meanwhile, Lance held his water bottle at a steep diagonal; as it had a push/pull cap, the water only came out when he put his mouth to it and sucked. With a mischievous grin, Lance took several long sips while making direct eye contact with Shiro as he tidied up their room a bit. Shiro gave him a confused look, wondering what he was up to. But when Lance disengaged his mouth from the water bottle and licked his lips sensually, it all became clear.

Shiro sat down on the bed. “What, you’re ready already?!” he asked, taken aback.

“I will be soon.” Lance set his water bottle on his nightstand. “I normally have three heatwaves in a row within an hour, with two-to-three hour long breaks in between. If we’re going to wait a bit to do anal again, then I know what I want to do in the meantime.”

Lance rolled over until he was lying on his belly between Shiro’s legs. Looking down at him, Shiro balked. He had been expecting to be the primary giver during this week of Lance’s heat: giving Lance his cock, his mouth, his hands, anything he could need or want. But for Lance to put him on the receiving end, especially then, as his heat was only just beginning, only showed his selflessness. Not that that came as a big surprise to Shiro.

Leaning in, Lance gave the tip of his cock a chaste kiss.

“A-ahh,” Shiro gasped. “I… I don’t know if I’ll be able to get it up for you quite yet…”

“That’s fine. I just want to practice.”

Lance’s tongue slid out between his lips, parting them ever so slightly, waiting. Shiro engraved this sight into his mind, a sight he’d never forget. He ran a gentle hand through Lance’s hair, his cock hovering at Lance’s lips. Silently, Lance leaned in, licking the tip of Shiro’s cock, a slight tease. Since it was new territory for him, Lance took his time getting to know the length. His curious tongue licked along the slit, tasting Shiro for the first time. He gained confidence with every stutter of Shiro’s breath, eventually wrapping his lips completely around the slowly hardening head. He keeps his gaze fixated on Shiro, holding his lips in place.

“You like that, hmm?” Shiro moaned ever so softly, a thumb sweeping over his cheek.

Lance hummed in agreement, and it made Shiro groan loudly. Watching him with wide eyes, Lance hummed even more as he sucked eagerly on his head, licking along the slit. Shiro had given Lance a blowjob over the past weekend while they had been initially exploring each other’s bodies; he noticed Lance using many of the same techniques he had performed on him, though he experimented plenty, as well.

After pausing to take a breath, Lance’s lips inched over Shiro, slowly allowing his jaw to relax. Lance’s mouth filled until his nose brushed against fine, black hairs near the base of Shiro’s cock, the head pressing against his throat. Single tears filled each of Lance’s eyes as he bobbed his head. Spotting the tears, Shiro took the base of his cock and began to pull out.

“Are you okay?” he asked quickly, his eyes trained on Lance, looking for any discomfort.

Lance only took a second to breathe before he started pressing kisses along the sides of Shiro’s now-erect cock, gazing up at him in wonder.

“I’m fine. I... I was just hoping I could feel you move inside me,” Lance laughed slightly at the look of shock on Shiro’s face. “The Sanctuary didn’t give us much sexual training, but they did have us work on our gag reflexes a bit, so I want to see how far I can go. And besides I…” his cheeks turned bright red, “ _love_ the feel of you…”

Lance busied himself with the head of his cock again, sucking on it and looking up expectantly at Shiro, waiting for a response.

“Lance… Do you want me to fill you up again?” he asked slowly.

Lance nodded, lashes fluttering as he pursed his lips. With a steadying breath, carefully, gently, Shiro edged his cock back inside his mouth. He watched Lance’s swollen lips eagerly suck around his length, taking him in.

Seeing that Lance was relatively comfortable, Shiro finally trusted himself to move, bringing his cock slowly in and out of Lance’s mouth. Lance let his hands slide up Shiro’s thighs, where he held on tightly. Shiro pulled out again, keeping the head pressed against his lips, letting Lance breathe. But Lance kept right on suckling on the head, his tongue playing with the slit there. He was so eager it made Shiro shiver.

“Lance, I’m… I’m not going to last long. You don’t have to-”

Unperturbed, Lance slid one hand down to caress Shiro’s balls, giving him every bit of motivation to come inside his mouth. With that encouragement, Shiro started fucking Lance’s mouth again, moving quickly but shallowly: just the sweet slide of Lance’s lips was enough. Shiro smoothed a hand over Lance’s cheek, feeling himself start to lose control.

“Lance, babe, I’m so- so close,” he gasped, wanting to give him as much warning as possible.

But Lance was not about to back down, his other hand holding Shiro still as he sunk his mouth even further long his cock.

“Lance… fuck… so good, Lance…” Shiro leaned back heavily against the headboard of the bed as he came for the second time in an hour, shooting hot seed right down the back of Lance’s throat. He could feel Lance moan around him, the vibrations only adding to the intensity.

And much to Shiro’s disbelief, Lance’s mouth remained fastened around his cock. He just took it, eyes slipping closed as he swallowed every bit. Trying to remember how to breathe, Shiro let his eyes fall closed as he began to relax, as Lance continued to suckle at him, drawing out the last drops. Limp and sucked absolutely dry, Shiro let his cock slide out with a pop, leaving a sticky mess on Lance’s lips.

“How… how was that?” Lance’s voice was slightly hoarse, but he sounded satisfied. He licked at the cum lingering on his lips, sighing softly. His mouth hung open slightly, not a trace of Shiro left.

“ _So_ good… God, Lance…” Shiro laughed, a bit bashful as he leaned forward and brought him in for a tongue-filled kiss. It had a different taste than normal – the tang of salt a bit overwhelming – but Shiro could still pick up on Lance’s unmistakable flavor. “You’re a fast learner!”

“I oughta be, if I’m going to be a fighter pilot!”

Lance got up from where he had been lying on his stomach so that he could join Shiro, where they laid back against the headboard. As Lance adjusted, Shiro noticed a thin string of white that stretched from Lance’s cock to the bedsheets.

“Lance… did you come just now? During the blowjob?”

“Oh, yeah, a bit,” Lance said with a shrug. “It really doesn’t take much for me to ejaculate during my heats, so just your cock in my mouth was _more_ than enough.”

“Heh, noted.” Shiro pulled Lance to his side, feeling the sudden need to have skin contact with his Omega.

“So, let’s see,” Lance said, holding out a hand. He ticked three of his fingers as he spoke, “I had an orgasm while you were holding me against the wall in the living room… like one-and-a-half during anal sex and our bonding, and then just now, although that was kind of a small one. So, I should be set for at least a few hours.”

“Good! That should give us some time to rest.”

Looking over his shoulder, Shiro checked his alarm clock for the time; it was only 1530, though it felt like an eternity had passed ever since they had arrived home from the Garrison earlier that afternoon.

After pulling a throw blanket over his shoulders like a cape, Lance climbed into Shiro’s lap, seeking another kiss.

“ _This_ is your idea of ‘resting’?” Shiro asked with a smirk.

“We don’t have to do anything!”

Their cocks brushed each other, but they were both too tired to respond to the stimulus. Even so, Shiro couldn’t resist cupping Lance’s ass in both hands underneath the throw blanket. Pulling Lance in for an embrace, he examined his bond-mark on his neck. It was healing well, probably aided by Lance’s heat hormones.

Realizing what Shiro was looking at, Lance exclaimed, “I haven’t seen my mark yet! Where’s my phone?!” He reached behind himself as if to get at his back pocket before remembering he wasn’t wearing any pants.

“Your phone is probably somewhere in your pile of clothes on the floor.”

Shiro reached over to the nightstand to grab his own phone. He opened the camera app to selfie mode and handed his phone to Lance, who held it up to his face, angling it slightly downward like a mirror so he could see his shoulder.

“ _Oh_ , Shiro, it’s beautiful!” Lance gasped, zooming in on the screen so he could see it in better detail. “Thank you!”

“Well, I’m glad you like it.” Shiro felt his face redden a bit. “There wasn’t really a certain method to it, so…”

Lance looked up from the phone and set it to the side. “It’s beautiful because it’s _your_ mark. It means that I’m yours, and now the whole world can see it.” Resting his forearms on Shiro’s shoulders, Lance rubbed Shiro’s nose with his own. “I have your scent, I have your mark. Everyone will know you are mine, and I am _yours_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! :) I did a slightly longer chapter this time because I have college midterms coming this week and next, so I'll be pretty busy. But then I'll have Fall Break, so I'll have plenty of time to write then! 
> 
> I’m planning on dedicating the next four or five chapters to cover the week of Lance’s heat; I won’t be writing about every single heatwave Lance has since there will be a ton throughout every day, but I will hit the highlights. I already have a lot of plans for what is going to happen, but if you guys have any ideas or requests for what you’d like to see during the sexytimes, feel free to mention them in the comments and I will definitely consider working them in!


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic recently reached 10,000 hits! I really appreciate everyone who has followed along for the ride thus far. 
> 
> I added the tag “consensual somnophilia” for this chapter, but it’s very light somnophilia and as you’ll see, isn’t really sex. I may include actual somnophilia in the future; it just won’t be this chapter.

After four more heatwaves that evening and well into the night, they fell asleep and slept hard. The last time Shiro had been that exhausted was after arriving home from the Kerberos mission; he couldn’t imagine how tired Lance must have been, having gone through the first day of his heat. But before they drifted off for the night, Shiro had told Lance to not hesitate to wake him up if he needed him.

“I don’t want to bother you…” Lance had murmured through a yawn.

“Impossible. I’m here for you, whatever you need.”

His brain feeling a bit fuzzy, Shiro became aware of movement next to him. It must have been before dawn; he didn’t have enough cognitive ability to think to check the clock on his nightstand. Shiro cracked open his eyes to see a whining Lance, nuzzling into his neck as he squirmed against his side. His body was half draped over Shiro’s, clinging to him in a near desperate way. Willing his arm to move, Shiro pulled him closer to his body; Lance whimpered at the movement, shifting his body to sleepily clamber fully up onto Shiro.

“‘S’alright, sweetheart, I’m here,” he murmured into Lance’s hair, pressing a gentle kiss where his lips hovered.

“Shiro,” Lance breathed out, hot against his throat as his hips spasmed against Shiro’s knee.

Lance’s eyes were only partially open and he was still heavy with sleep; another heatwave must have woken him up. Smoothing his hands down Lance’s spine, Shiro settled them in the small of his back in a loose grip, giving him the leverage to nudge up against Lance’s hole. His left hand ventured down, slipping between his cheeks to tap at the pink hole just to hear that breathless little whine he always made. It was still wet and sticky from the night before, Shiro’s come slipping out of him.

“Feel good?” Shiro husked, rough and low, right next to Lance’s ear.

“M’so empty,” Lance slurred, wriggling his ass back.

“Ease back down on it.” Shiro lifted Lance up by the hips, sliding him down his barely-hard cock. “There you go, babe, nice and easy.”

Sighing happily at being filled once more, Lance tucked back into Shiro’s neck to lap at his scent gland, his eyes fluttering closed again as he relaxed into Shiro’s grasp. As Lance didn’t move or try to encourage anything in particular, Shiro didn’t move, either, trying to decipher what he needed. Several moments of silence filled the early-morning air, and Shiro thought he had fallen back asleep, before he heard Lance’s sleepy voice out of the blue.

“Stay… stay in me…?”

“Okay, if you’d like that.”

Mouth parted, Lance was gone again, his breath ghosting over Shiro’s skin, seeking out the comfort of simply being filled. Lance didn’t need anything more, and Shiro was fine with that; the soft warmth encompassing his cock was more than enough, and he found it oddly comforting. He hoped that this position would allow them a few more hours of sleep before a stronger heatwave hit Lance later on.

Shiro fondly petted his hair for a bit, then cradled his frame, hitched Lance’s leg up slightly to maintain their connection, and delicately rolled them onto their sides, still facing each other. Lance’s breathing returned to normal; Shiro could feel the desperation seep away.

 

* * *

 

To their amazement, Lance woke up naturally later that morning, unaffected by a heatwave. Shiro’s cock had slipped out at some point, likely from one of them shifting in their sleep, but the position had been effective while it had lasted.

“That was really nice!” Lance said, sitting up in bed. He stretched, raising his arms over his head, in a way that was almost feline. “I really liked sleeping that way, and I think my body responded well to it, since that was the best night of sleep I’ve ever had during a heat.” He looked over his shoulder to see Shiro still reclined on his pillow.

“We’ll have to keep it in mind.” Shiro snaked his left hand up Lance’s back, massaging his spine from bottom to top. “Feel like eating an actual meal?” They had just snacked in bed for supper the night before.

“Do you even have to ask?!”

Getting up from their bed, Lance was a bit wobbly on his feet after having not done much walking in the last fourteen-or-so hours, so Shiro helped him put on some sweatpants and got him to the bathroom, where they relieved themselves and took their daily birth control.

“Don’t even think about trying to help make breakfast, okay?” Shiro said as they entered the kitchen. As Shiro walked Lance over to the kitchen table, Lance winced as he sat down on the wooden chair. “Oh! Are you sore?” He quickly grabbed a pillow from the couch and brought into the kitchen.

“Thanks… it’ll probably take a bit of getting used to, but it’s totally worth it,” Lance grinned as he eased down on top of the pillow.

After kissing the top of his head, Shiro started on cracking eggs to make omelets for them, adding extra cheese to Lance’s, the way he liked it. As they cooked, he then called Natsu in from the backyard (she had gone out through the doggy-door) and filled her food and water bowls.

“Hey, sweet girl!” Lance greeted Natsu as she made a bee-line for his chair for their morning greeting, involving exuberant head pats and strokes down her back. “Shiro and I are still around, we promise! We’re just upstairs most of the time…” 

“When do you think your next heatwave will be?” Shiro asked.

Lance considered. “Not sure. Yesterday I kept pretty much on schedule, though the gaps between each wave were a bit longer than usual. I think being bonded is definitely helping things be less intense.”

“Well, I’m glad we figured out a way to help you sleep without being woken up by heatwaves.” The omelets were nearly done, so Shiro poured glasses of water for himself and Lance. “That position, with a cock penetrating the partner without moving around or anything, is called cock-warming, I think.”

“I _did_ really like it-” Lance’s gaze fell to his lap, “oh, would you look at that.”

Bringing their breakfast over to the table, Shiro raised an eyebrow in question.

“Just talking about you being inside me got my body interested, all of a sudden,” Lance continued, pointing to his lap. “I’m not feeling desperate or anything yet, so we can wait until after breakfast to, oh-!”

Shiro kneeled down in front of Lance, pulled his chair out front the kitchen table a few inches, and started palming Lance’s erection through his sweatpants.

“Hmm, oh, Shiro…” Lance groaned, before his eyes wandered to the omelets on the two plates, “But what about our food…?”

“Go ahead and eat yours. I’ll just pop my omelet back in the frying pan to heat it up…” Shiro tugged down the waistband of Lance’s pants, “…once I’m done _here_.”

Lance gave him a quizzical look before laughing in defeat.

“Weirdest breakfast ever, but okay!” he said as he cut into his omelet with the side of his fork.   

As Lance almost always sat with his legs twisted like a pretzel, Shiro rested his forearms on either of Lance’s parted knees as he leaned in closer to his torso, Lance’s cock straining upwards to meet him. Shiro dove right in, taking Lance in his mouth in one swift motion. At the same time, Lance took his first bite of breakfast and inhaled abruptly, setting his fork down as soon as it left his mouth. Shiro gave him a moment to adjust, buried to the hilt in the wet heat of his mouth, before he reached behind Lance, sliding his hand over the curve of his ass. Lance nearly doubled over across the kitchen table in surprise, his thighs trembled with the effort it took to stay upright in his chair; moaning loudly, his voice echoed in the silence of the kitchen.

“Omelet tastes that good, huh?” Shiro asked when he pulled back for a breath. “ _You_ taste delicious.”

He pulled his head back, achingly slow, releasing Lance’s cock inch by inch, before pausing at the head to explore its sensitive underside with the tip of his tongue. Lance’s breath came in pants as he continued to eat, or at least tried to eat. When Shiro released his head, Lance let out a long, ragged breath. For a moment, they stilled. Then Shiro dipped his head to the base of Lance’s cock and licked a single broad stripe up his length, base to tip, simultaneously tightening his grip on Lance’s ass. This pulled a low growl from Lance and his left hand, the one not holding his fork, moved to grip the edge of the table, his knuckles turning white.

Pulling back again, Shiro rubbed Lance’s cock on his wet lips, licking the slit with little flicks of his tongue. When Shiro took Lance fully in his mouth again, he moved the hand of Lance’s thigh between his legs, lightly cupping his balls. He set a steady pace and took Lance deep; as he did so, he heard Lance’s fork scrape ungracefully against the plate.

“So close, Sh-Shiro,” Lance gasped around a mouthful of egg, “I’m g-going…”

In response, Shiro only quickened his pace, his head bobbing on Lance’s cock, fingers digging into his ass and rubbing gentle circles into the sensitive spot just behind his balls. Lance involuntarily tightened his grip on Shiro’s hair, thrusting barely controlled jerks into Shiro’s mouth. Shiro swallowed, his throat constricting around him, sending Lance over the edge. He came in long, wracking contractions, his release thick in Shiro’s mouth.

Shiro indulgently milked him through the aftershocks, mouth and hands gently coaxing him through the last spasms of his orgasm. When he was finally finished, Shiro pulled back slightly, resting his hands lightly on Lance’s exposed hipbones and leaning his forehead against the gentle curve of his stomach. They rested like this, panting, for a few minutes. When Shiro leaned back on his haunches and looked up at him, he saw Lance had finally opened his eyes. As Shiro wiped the cum off of his mouth with the back of his hand, Lance let out a sound that was halfway between a laugh and a sigh.

“Yep, yep… that definitely was the weirdest breakfast ever!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Your comments and kudos mean a lot to me! <3


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a ton of fun to write, although it also took longer than I expected. I hope you enjoy!

Wednesday morning, the weather was beautiful – only a few clouds dotted the sky, and the air had just the right amount of crispness to it for November – so they decided to go for a walk. Shiro was a bit hesitant for Lance to go outside during his heat, even though they would be together, but eventually agreed, as Natsu was growing a bit bored of just going out to the backyard.

“Most people are probably at work right now, anyway,” Shiro said, locking their front door.

As they left their driveway behind, Lance shifted Natsu’s leash to his left hand, took Shiro’s hand in his own, and wrapped it protectively around his own hips.

“And if we _do_ see someone and they give us any trouble, I’ll have my big, strong Alpha there to protect me!”

Shiro tightened his grip on Lance’s side, already feeling a bit possessive just at the thought. His eyes swept their street, double checking it for any signs of another Alpha. He was brought back to reality when Natsu spotted a squirrel in a neighbor’s yard and started tugging at her leash.

“Ah, ah, no, Natsu, leave it!” he said, causing her to relax.

“It _is_ nice to get outside and stretch our legs after being cooped up all yesterday,” Lance said, looking up at the trees with their leaves of reds and oranges. “Not that I _mind_ being cooped up, having sex and snugging with you all day, but, well, you know.”

Shiro chuckled. “I do know.”

“Oh, Shiro, I’ve been meaning to say, let me know if and when you need some time by yourself. As much as I appreciate everything you’re doing for me during my heat, we don’t have to be together every single second.”

“Alright, well, thank you,” Shiro said as he picked up after Natsu using the little baggie they had brought, which he closed and put it his pocket. “And I know you have some stuff to do for your classes.”

“Yep. I just didn’t want you to think you might offend me by asking for some alone time.”

“Not at all, babe. This week is going to be a ton of intense quality time, so we shouldn’t let ourselves get burned out!”

 

* * *

 

Arriving back home, however, they tumbled wordlessly onto the living room couch, their kisses so passionate that they may as well have just reunited after a full year apart.

“What was that we were saying about alone time?” Lance grinned against Shiro’s mouth.

“Hmm, maybe later.”

Lance wrapped his arms around Shiro’s shoulders, fell to the side, and landed on the couch cushion, taking Shiro down on top of him. They slipped out of their sweatpants and kicked them off before their legs intertwined. Though it had been a bit chilly outside, Shiro suddenly felt much too hot in the t-shirt he was wearing; grabbing the fabric behind his neck, he tugged it off in one fell swoop and tossed it aside, then pulled up Lance’s shirt so that their skin could touch. Lance blindly clutched at Shiro’s crotch, seeking his cock.

“How do you want it?” Shiro took himself in hand and guided the head into Lance’s searching fingers.

“W-want you, Shiro…”

“Anything more specific?” he teased.

Lance started shifting until he had rolled over onto his stomach; he stretched until his upper torso was leaning on the cushioned armrest of the couch. Now facing Lance’s ass, Shiro took that as much of an answer as he was going to get. Leaning over, he kissed down his back, stopping at the bottom of Lance’s spine before parting his cheeks with both hands. Shiro pressed his lips to the winking rosebud, already sopping with arousal. The sloppy sounds coming from his own mouth on that sensitive flesh were filthy, but Shiro couldn’t bring himself to be embarrassed. Judging by Lance’s moans, he didn’t mind too much, either. Lance’s hips thrust backward, seeking more than just his tongue, but Shiro wanted to savor his taste for a bit longer.

“Okay, I’ll be more specific now,” Lance finally said, “Can I have your cock?”

“I was just waiting for you to say the word.”

Nudging forward, Shiro got up onto his knees, lightly rested his weight on Lance’s back, and pressed in effortlessly. Lance released a sigh, mumbling meaningless sounds of pleasure under his breath. Once situated, Shiro snapped his hips forward, impaling Lance with a sharp thrust. Reaching around, he grabbed Lance’s cock, stroking him languidly, using his pre-come as lubrication. Shiro angled his thrusts to hit Lance’s prostate directly, earning a wail from Lance.

“Yes, Shiro, there, there!”

“Feel so amazing, fuck,” Shiro ran his hands up his torso, wrapping his arms around Lance to hold him close.

The rimjob had brought Lance further along, so Shiro didn’t anticipate this to last for a very long time. Indeed, the pre-come coating his left hand seemed to have doubled, and Lance was gasping, hard.

“Want me to come inside, babe? Want my knot to fill you?”

“Oh, oh, God, fuck me, Shiro!” Lance whined, throwing his head back. “Fill me with your seed, Shiro! I need it! Breed me! I want to carry your pups, ah-!”

Hearing that, all Shiro could think was _Fuck, if that’s not the hottest thing I’ve ever heard_ , and he was sure his his heart nearly stopped, though it kept on hammering in time with his thrusting hips, and then his vision went white and everything clouded over. He came deep into Lance with a last few pumps, whispering Lance’s name, as Lance screamed his.  

He came to slowly, and his brain slowly registered that his knot had taken root in Lance’s ass, though he wasn’t sure how long it had been. Lance was still breathing hard beneath him; he pressed kisses up and down his neck and bond-mark. As he regained his ability to put two thoughts together, Shiro was able to process – or at least begin to process – what had just happened. Swallowing thickly, he heard Lance’s words again in his mind, “ _Fill me with your seed, Shiro! I need it! Breed me! I want to carry your pups…”_ He had sounded so needy, so intent, and those words were what had sent Shiro careening over the edge. It had been so indescribably hot, but deep down, Shiro knew they needed to talk about this before anything else.

As they were still knotted, Shiro gently lifted Lance from where he had been leaning against the couch armrest so that he was lying back against the couch with Lance in his lap, his head rested back on Shiro’s shoulder. Shiro kept him upright, his arms wrapped around him, and comforted him through the afterglow.

“Lance…?” he said after a while. He had to get this conversation going, sooner or later. 

“Hmm?”

“Are you feeling more clearheaded now…?”

“Eh, yeah, a bit. If I’m back on schedule, I’ve probably got like half an hour of normal conversation left before the next heatwave.” Lance turned his head so that he could meet Shiro’s eyes. “Something wrong?”

“It’s just that… well, that last wave was kinda, er, different, and I guess I’m just kind of flustered.”

Shiro’s knot and cock softened and slipped out; they adjusted a bit, but remained cuddled on the couch.

Lance’s eyes looked upwards in thought. “…What happened? It’s a little fuzzy, especially toward the end.” Shiro felt him stiffen against his chest. “Oh, wait… did I say something about…?” He trailed off.

“You were asking me to fill you, which is pretty normal. But then you said-”

“Oh, God, it’s all coming back to me now.” Lance put a hand to his head, his eyes looking about frantically. “I… I asked you to _breed_ me, didn’t I? To… fill me with your pups…”

“Yep…” Shiro blew out his lips. “Was that the heat talking, or was it actually…?”

Lance grabbed Shiro’s arm and turned in his lap so that they were face to face. “Shiro, I’m taking birth control, I swear to you! I would never trick you or lie to you, especially not about-”

“Lance, it’s okay, I know you wouldn’t; I see you take your birth control whenever I take mine. I trust you. Completely.” Shiro used his free hand to cup Lance’s chin and held their gaze until he was sure Lance believed him. “I just meant… was all of that just your Omega-in-heat instincts, or is there something more to it?”

Blinking rapidly, Lance thought the question over.

“What I said was mostly from my heat, but I… I _do_ want to have kids eventually,” he began slowly, as if he was choosing his words carefully. “I love kids. I have a big family with lots of cousins and all of my eight older siblings have kids. I love when everyone is together and all the kids are running around and having fun and…” Lance shoulders tensed slightly. “B-but I know when we told your parents about our family plans, we were just saying what they wanted to hear – that we were going to have kids, but maybe wait a while – but we weren’t a couple back then so we didn’t really mean it, and we haven’t talked about it ever since, so I don’t want to assume anything about what you want…”

Lance’s eyes burned with the question they were both thinking. Smelling Lance’s anxiety pheromones grow stronger, Shiro drew his arms tighter around Lance and began slowly rocking him.

“Lance… oh, my Lance… I… When you asked me to breed you, it shocked me; I had no idea how to take that at first. But it also turned some kind switch on in my brain and…” Shiro allowed himself to smile, “I always assumed I would settle down and have a family one day, but in that moment just now, imagining having that family with _you_ , with your belly round with our litter, I… I do want to be a parent, I want to have kids with you, to raise and love and nurture, if that’s what you want.”

Eyes brimming with tears, Lance turned around in Shiro’s arms so that he was straddling him. Despite the sensual position, their kiss was as soft as their first: slow and thoughtful and loving. Shiro didn’t know how much communication could take place via a kiss, but he hoped Lance felt the sincerity of his words, that it hadn’t been mere lip service to make him feel better. Shiro wanted to be a father, and more than that, he wanted to be a father with Lance. Ending the kiss, they just held each other.

“I’m really relieved,” Lance murmured, laughing a bit shakily. “I know I should have asked you about it sooner, but I was just so nervous… I would have respected your decision if you said you didn’t want kids, but I didn’t even want to think about it…”

Shiro stroked his back. “But now we know how each other feel. And there’s still more to talk about as we move forward, but I’m really glad we’ve at least started the conversation.”

“So, what we told your parents about our plans – like waiting for me to get through the Garrison before we get pregnant and all – was that just to get them off our back, or did you mean it? Like, do you have any kind of timeline in mind?”

“Lance, you’re the one who’ll be carrying our pup or litter and giving birth. I’m happy to do what you want to do.”

“Thank you, but you should get to have a say in the timing, too!”

“Okay… well, we probably shouldn’t get pregnant _this_ heat, since we just recently got together and we’re still establishing our relationship.”

Lance pouted, pushing out his bottom lip. “Aw.”

“I-I mean, if you want to,” Shiro added, speaking quickly, “we _could_ , maybe-”

“I’m kidding, Shiro!” Lance laughed, “I totally agree. And it’d be hard to get pregnant this week, since we’ve both been on birth control and that would take a while to wear off completely. Maybe my first heat after I graduate?”

Shiro considered. “Maybe. That’s a little over a year away.”

“But then… I’m only going to get busier once I become an actual pilot, so starting our family will be even more difficult.” Lance lifted himself out of Shiro’s lap to sit next to him on the couch, snuggled under his arm.

“How many more heats will you have before you graduate?” Shiro asked, smoothing a hand through Lance’s hair.

“I’ll have two more, so… maybe my next one in six months? I won’t be able to fly through most of my pregnancy – even the more intense simulations will probably be off limits – but I can work on my other training in the meantime before going on maternity leave.”

“Only if you feel like you will be able to handle it on top of everything else. Maybe also take time off from the café?”

“Yeah,” Lance said with a nod, “just to conserve energy. And if I do conceive during my next heat, at least part of the pregnancy will be during the month we have for summer break, so that’ll be a good time for me to rest.”

“Well, you know I’ll support you in any way you need, whenever we do this.”

Lance leaned in to nuzzle at Shiro’s scent gland. “Of course! I can’t wait to start my piloting career with the Garrison, but until then, I know I can trust you to provide for our family.” His eyes lit up, as if he had just remembered something. “Oh! And, just to be clear, just because I come from a big family, doesn’t mean we have to have a ton of kids, too. I’d be happy with just one or two, if you’d be more comfortable with that.”

Thus far in their rapid conversation on the matter, Shiro hadn’t even thought about that. He was glad that Lance was flexible, but, being an only child, Shiro realized that the idea of having several children sounded rather appealing.

“Good to know. Although, this house is so spacious… we _do_ have plenty of room.” His arm left Lance’s shoulder and migrated downward, passing his hand under Lance’s armpit so that his hand could pat Lance’s stomach. Lance’s head was still close to Shiro’s from when he had been scenting him, so Shiro murmured in his ear, “Maybe I could _breed you_ a few times, hmm?” The word felt a little strange on Shiro’s tongue, but he found he enjoyed it.

With a breathy laugh, both of Lance’s hands moved to cover Shiro’s hand on his stomach, holding it there, as if relishing the feeling. Lance leaned up to brush his lips against Shiro’s in a messy, excited kiss.

“ _Maybe_ …”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Your comments and kudos are always greatly appreciated! <3


	23. Chapter 23

They hardly slept at all Wednesday night; Lance had three intense heatwaves in a row without much time to rest between each one. Their discussion about starting their family had them both imagining Lance getting pregnant, and while they truly did want to have children one day, Lance’s Omega biology intensified that hope for the future, causing his hormones to skyrocket as he fixated on the idea. Shiro’s Alpha instincts reacted likewise, though even he had trouble keeping up.

When Lance finally calmed down in the wee hours of the next morning, he fell back on their mattress and crossed his arms over his face, exhausted. Shiro rolled over to face him, his limbs feeling like noodles. He pressed a kiss to the center of Lance’s belly, an area they had been giving a lot of attention to that evening.

“Don’t start that up again!” Lance said from above. “I’m just _now_ starting to feel a bit normal again!”

Shiro laughed weakly. “Fair enough.” As fun as the sex marathon had been, he was feeling way too sensitive now to do much else. “At least, now I know a sure-fire way to get you in the mood,” he teased, circling Lance’s belly button with a finger.

“I wasn’t the only one enjoying that, Mr. Alpha!”

Scooting up the bed, Shiro rested his head on his pillow with a tired groan. Lance pressed his back against his chest, encouraging Shiro to spoon him. Shiro hugged Lance close and pressed kisses up and down his neck, centering in on his nape; Lance gasped every time he brushed over the tender flesh.

“Can… we still do that sometimes in future, when I’m not in heat?”

“Do what?”

“Pretend like we’re, er, breeding…? Or is that weird?”

“No, babe, it’s fine! It’s just a kink: something some people like to incorporate into sex.”

Lance held onto Shiro’s hand where it wrapped around his abdomen. “Okay… it’s just that when the time comes when we actually want to start our family and have sex off of birth control, I don’t want it to be, you know… less special, because we’ve fantasied about it too much in the past…”

“I don’t think we need to worry too much about that.” Shiro stroked up and down Lance’s stomach, an action he had been doing a lot that night as they made love, but now it was to comfort and affirm. “When that day actually comes, when it’s the real thing, it’ll be _wonderful_. I promise.”

Shiro felt Lance nod his head where it was snuggled under his chin. They laid in silence, both to process the conversation and to recover from everything. Lance eventually started wriggling his ass backward; Shiro recognized the movement.

“Maybe we should take a break from anything anal-related, hmm? I know sleeping with me inside you has helped keep your heatwaves at bay while you sleep, but…”

The wriggling ceased. “Yeah, I guess we _have_ been going pretty hard tonight.”

“There’s plenty of other stuff we could do tomorrow to get you through your heatwaves. But in the meantime, once we go to sleep, you can always wake me up if you need me.”

“I know, but you need your rest…”

“Don’t worry about me, Lance. I’m here for you.”

Relenting, Lance’s posture relaxed a bit, then, before too long, Shiro felt Lance’s breath began to slow as sleep overtook him. Shiro nuzzled the shell of his ear, murmuring a string of “I love yous” before falling asleep, as well. 

 

* * *

 

Shiro woke up slowly, so slow that he didn't realize he was awake for several moments. This was because his waking reality was better than his dreams ever could be. Next to him slept an angel, mouth lolled open and arms a tangle around his head. Shiro couldn't have imagined a more beautiful sight.

Eyes sleepily perusing his lover, Shiro caught a glimpse of the bond-mark on Lance’s neck; it filled him with an overwhelming sense of joy and pride whenever he saw it. Only a few weeks ago, he had been hopelessly pining for his friend; now, that same friend was lying in bed next to him, now his Omega, his partner, his mate for life. Lance’s clothes hung in Shiro’s closet, his toiletries in his bathroom, his decorations and pictures from home on his bedroom walls. They were planning their future together, their lives becoming one. _Funny, the way life can surprise you sometimes_ , he thought, smiling softly.

Interrupting Shiro’s musings, Lance shifted in his sleep, turning onto his back; the comforter shifted with him, falling further down his bare body. By then it was second nature for Shiro’s eyes to roam freely, appreciating every inch of skin he could see. His gaze eventually arrived south, where he spied Lance’s cock, nearly fully hard, jutting straight up from its bed of soft, brown hair.

Lance made a little sound, pressing closer against Shiro and almost imperceptibly rubbing against him as his body was starting to realize its surroundings, and Shiro felt a shudder of arousal pass through him. It was so primal, the most natural reaction. He smirked, and pressed a kiss under Lance’s jaw. Slowly, he pressed back, experimenting. Lance echoed the move, another sound escaping from his mouth, but he didn’t seem to be waking up at all. Precum already dotted around the head of Lance's cock, and the sheets underneath his crotch were stained with lubrication from the heatwave, but Lance hadn’t seemed to notice.

Shiro knew Lance was a heavy sleeper; _maybe I could take care of that before he even wakes up,_ he thought. As quietly as he could, Shiro rolled onto his side, then onto his stomach, inching his way down the bed. He tried to touch Lance’s sprawled limbs as little as possible so as to not wake him prematurely, but since his goal was to get between Lance’s legs, this proved to be a challenge. Successfully arriving at his destination at the foot of the bed, he settled onto his stomach with Lance’s legs on either side of him.

Tracing a finger down the length of Lance's cock, Shiro felt it twitch slightly. As delicately as he could, he stroked the head and massaged the slit with his thumb. By now, Lance was fully erect and standing proud, flushed red. Licking his lips, Shiro leaned over and enveloped it in his mouth, sucking languidly. His eyes slipped shut; he relished the taste of his beloved. Pulling back, he took Lance’s cock in hand and slowly pressed his lips to the base, careful to avoid his sensitive balls for the moment.

Shiro felt Lance’s hips stutter slightly as he took the head his cock back into his mouth; he used plenty of tongue, just as he knew Lance liked. Lance let out a small groan, but remained asleep. Precum continued to ooze from the slit, which Shiro immediately lapped up, humming with delight, Lance’s cock feeling hot and heavy against his tongue. After catching his breath, Shiro took him deeper, allowing the tip to press just against the back of his throat before pulling back, then repeating the motion.

Upon hearing a grunt from above, Shiro pulled off, causing Lance’s hips to buck slightly off the mattress. Glancing cautiously up at his face, Shiro was surprised to find Lance was still asleep, though his cheeks were now flushed and his mouth hanging open slightly as his breathing became heavier. Shiro grinned at the sight; Lance was always so handsome when he was disheveled like this.

He was brought back to the moment when Lance bucked his hips again, pushing more of his cock into Shiro’s mouth. Trying to avoid waking his sleeping beauty, Shiro pulled away quickly, a thin trail of saliva running from his mouth to the tip of Lance’s cock. Lance’s hips were still involuntarily rutting up into the air; even in sleep, he seemed frustrated, seeking that wet, warm heat of Shiro's mouth. Shiro could tell Lance was on the verge of consciousness. He was about to wrap his lips back around the head of his cock when Lance’s hips suddenly stopped, resting on the bed. He looked up slowly, eventually meeting Lance’s eyes staring down at him, glassy, blinking heavily.

“Good morning, love,” Shiro said casually, giving the tip of Lance’s leaking cock a kiss.

“What’re you doing?” Lance slurred, voice still raspy from sleep.

“Sorry, you looked so beautiful… I couldn’t help myself.”

Lance laughed before sitting up and, leaning forward, he took Shiro’s face in his hands and brushed their lips together. Stubble rubbed against stubble; neither of them had shaved all week. Raking his hands through Shiro’s hair, Lance sighed contentedly.

“What a way to wake up. How did I not even notice…?” he said, looking down at his still-hard cock.

“You must have been really out of it. Do you want me to keep going, or chill for a bit and wake up-”

In answer, Lance rolled over so that Shiro was facing his ass. Shiro was about to remind him that they were taking a break from anal sex that day when he realized there was something else that they could do in that position. Putting his hands to Lance’s sides, Shiro encouraged him to raise his hips a bit and prop himself up on his knees, then tucked a thick, soft pillow underneath his abdomen to support him. Shiro sat back on his knees behind Lance and took a moment to marvel at the sight before him. Leaning in, Shiro planted both hands on Lance's ass and parted his cheeks further, admiring the dripping hole.

"You're so wet, baby. This heatwave must have started a while ago."

"Mm," Lance blushed, looking back at the mattress. "Shiro...!" His complaint melted into a cry as Shiro traced a fingertip around the edge of his entrance.

Shiro urged Lance's thighs further apart with steady hands and dipped his head to lave a slow, deliciously sloppy line from the back of Lance's balls to the tender, secret place hidden behind them.

"Oh, God," Lance whined as the tip of Shiro's tongue worked its way into him.

The touch of slick on his tongue seemed to make Shiro’s blood rush; this was far from Lance’s first heatwave, but the smell emanating from his sex was still just as heady and intoxicating to Shiro as it had been at the beginning of the heat. He lapped eagerly at Lance's leaking entrance, tracing around the rim with his tongue before sliding two fingers deep inside him, seeking out his prostate as he licked at as much skin as he could reach, teasing and stretching at the taut flesh.

Lance grasped the sheets and whined, backing against Shiro's tongue and flinching at the touches.

“Fuck, gorgeous,” Shiro murmured to himself, his tongue passing swiftly between his cheeks. He moaned at the velvety, wet sensation. “You taste amazing. I could eat you out all day.”

Shiro continued to work Lance open, relishing on all his little shaky breaths and moans, trying to make them more and more frequent, more and more desperate and out of control. Gradually he moved his head lower, until the peak of his tongue stroked against Lance’s entrance, just a tease.

“Oh…” Lance shivered and opened his legs a bit more.

Shiro started slow but lingeringly, feeling the muscle spacing and squeezing around his tongue, adjusting just for him, so hot and so soft. Sometimes he stopped to nip at Lance’s cheeks, two fingers in him pushing ever so lightly against his prostate, and Shiro didn’t need to see to know the wet patch on the sheets had grown.

“Shiro, I- I can’t- please- I need… ugh, please,” Lance panted, his face pressed into the pillows.

Shiro took pity on his mate, dropping a fond kiss to the low of his back. His fingers ventured between Lance's thighs, giving his cock a slow tug where it hung down between his spread legs. Shiro could barely focus as he thrusted his tongue back into Lance's delectable ass, feasting on it and tongue fucking the tiny opening as his hand picked up the pace on Lance's cock. By that point, his fingers were soaked with precum. He wanted to taste it, wanted to put his fingers into his mouth and suck them off to clean them, but he couldn’t bring himself to pull his tongue away from where Lance needed it. Not when his mate was so close.

"Shiro… Shiro…!" Lance gasped, his hips thrusting backward. "Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God, _please_."

He gave Lance’s cock three more powerful pumps, and then Lance was shuddering underneath him and moaning, and Shiro held him steady. Lance trembled, his hole throbbing around Shiro's tongue and his perineum contracting with each pulse of ejaculate which is forced from him at Shiro's skilled ministrations.

Breathing hard, Lance collapsed forward, his now-limp cock falling against the pillow underneath him, stained with come. Shiro gave his left buttock one last kiss before joining Lance on the pillows at the head of the bed.

“Hmph… thanks,” Shiro just barely heard Lance say, his mouth still muffled from the pillows.

“My pleasure.”

Not unlike a beached fish, Lance fumblingly rolled onto his side to face Shiro; he still looked half-awake, but very satisfied, as well. As they caught their breath, the two of them just laid there, staring at each other with sappy-sweet smiles. Lance inched forward to lap kisses along Shiro’s jaw before zeroing in on his mouth.

“Wait, let me brush my teeth first…!” Shiro laughed.

“Hmm, don’t care.”

Lance cupped Shiro’s face in his hands and drew him down into a kiss. Shiro licked between his lips, eliciting a moan from his throat; Lance met Shiro’s tongue with the tip of his own.

“Mm, love you, love you so much,” Lance said slowly.

Shiro agreed into the kiss, swiping his tongue over Lance’s lower lip. Lance chased his tongue before capturing Shiro’s mouth with his own again. He stroked gently over lips and tongue until Lance was squirming beneath him. A few more feverish kisses followed, with Lance’s long fingers winding into Shiro’s hair, and they settled together, forehead to forehead with Shiro holding him around his waist. Shiro’s cock, more than interested by now, prodded against Lance’s leg.

Lance glanced down. “Let me take care of tha-”

He was interrupted by the sound of Shiro’s phone ringing; they both startled in surprise, as the room had been nearly silent.

“Mm, just ignore it,” Lance gave Shiro’s bottom lip a quick lick. 

Shiro grabbed his phone from the nightstand and fumbled to see the screen. “Well, that’s a boner-killer. It’s Iverson; I have to answer it,” he said as the phone rang a second time.

Ghosting his fingertips over Shiro’s abdomen, Lance looked amused as he saw the muscles tense up.

“Stop it,” Shiro chided, batting Lance’s hand away. He took a deep breath, steadying himself before he sat up in bed and answered the phone, “Hey, Iverson.” Seeing that Lance was pouting at him, Shiro held up a finger, shushing him before he could say anything in protest. “What’s going on?”

“Shirogane, the plans for the modifications to the landing system for _The_ _Reginald_ are nowhere to be found. I need you here, now.”

At hearing Iverson’s grating voice on the other end of the call, Lance's eyebrow twitched up in annoyance. He huffed impatiently before moving down the bed to situate himself between Shiro’s legs.

Shiro looked, down startled. “What are you doing?” he mouthed at Lance before saying into phone, “Keillor should have those files. Either her or Matthews; I don’t know anything about more it.”

Lance began slowly stroking his hands up and down Shiro’ thighs. Back and forth, back and forth. Shiro blushed, watching him closely, but he didn’t stutter.

“Matthews is out of town, and Keillor was the one who brought it to my attention.”

“Well, it’s not really my problem; I’m taking the week off, remember? Who saw them last?”

As he listened to Iverson, Shiro pulled away from the phone, pressing the palm of his hand over the receiver.

"What’re you doing?" he hissed. Lance returned to his neck, and Shiro couldn't stifle his moan as Lance dragged his tongue from his neck to his ear, breathing heavily and biting his earlobe. "I-I'm talking to my boss!" he protested weakly.

“Who shouldn’t been calling you while you’re taking time off of work. He very rudely interrupted us.”

Shiro returned his attention to his phone; Iverson was still spouting off details that were irrelevant to Shiro – even while he was on the job, as it was not his area, and, at the moment, he couldn’t bring himself to care, especially not with Lance peppering his neck with kisses, and, like a mischievous cat, watching Shiro as he struggled to keep his cool.  

“Will you stop!” Shiro mouthed to Lance as Iverson continued to ramble in his ear.

Lance’s eyes shone up at Shiro as he ran a teasing finger along the length of Shiro’s cock. His hands danced lightly across Shiro’s skin for a few moments, just enough pressure to be a distraction. _I’m not getting out of this_ , Shiro’s thoughts were racing. He swallowed back a groan. _May as well…_

Still listening to Iverson explain the situation, Shiro leaned his head back against the bed headrest. Encouraged, Lance’s fingers deftly moved up to tweak at a nipple. Shiro's breath hitched as Lance moved his thumb back and forth over the nub, Lance leaning forward to exhale hotly into his unoccupied ear. Shiro drew his eyebrows together, focusing on the ceiling.

After coughing loudly to cover up a moan, Shiro had to say something in response.

“Sam might know something about it,” he told Iverson, putting his phone to his other ear.

“I doubt it; Commander Holt has not been on that project at all.”

“Well, neither have I, you know-!” Shiro's voice cracked as Lance assaulted his neck, going all the way down to his collarbone.

Keeping their eyes locked, Lance wrapped his right hand around the base of Shiro’s cock. Lance’s lips left Shiro’s neck, only for him to bring his mouth against Shiro’ s cock, softly blowing heated breath over the sensitive tip, before quickening his hands around the shaft. Shiro barely bit back a groan as he covered his face with his free hand.

“Right, okay. Iverson, I’m sure it will be fine. Just keep looking,” he somehow managed to say, cutting Iverson off before he could go into further detail. “And no, I will not be coming into the Garrison.” He clamped his mouth shut to stifle a moan before quickly continuing, “My vacation ends Monday; I-I will see you then.”

Not even waiting for Iverson’s reply, Shiro swiped the red hang-up button and dropped his phone off the bed onto the carpeted floor.

“Finally!” Grinning victoriously, Lance brought both of his hands together is a tight ring around Shiro’s cock and quickened his pace, no longer teasing like he had been; Shiro gripped Lance’s shoulders and came suddenly, with a loud grunt. Ropes of semen came shooting out, painting both of their chests a creamy white.

“Fuck…” Shiro muttered, his chest heaving hard. He felt like his brain was swimming in his skull. He did, however, have enough presence of mind to crush his lips against Lance’s, who returned it with just as much fervor. “I should be so mad at you right now, you know,” he said when they broke apart.

“But you’re not!” Lance smirked knowingly.

“Only because that was actually one of the most pleasant conversations I’ve ever had with Iverson.”

Lance fell backwards onto the mattress, howling with laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading! Your comments and kudos mean a lot to me!


	24. Chapter 24

By that mid-morning that Saturday, Lance’s heat had gradually come to an end. It had been nearly eight hours since his last wave, which was a pretty good indicator that the heat was tapering off.  They spent the remainder of the weekend actually getting some rest; the majority of that week had been filled with sex to help Lance through his heat, which had been nice, but not exactly relaxing.

When Monday came, they both found it difficult to get out of bed. Their uniforms felt a bit strange after so much time spent walking around the house either wearing pajamas or just naked. They made breakfast together, but they moved around the kitchen so sluggishly that Natsu sat on her kitchen bed, watching them with her head cocked in confusion.

“It’ll be nice to have things return to normal,” Lance said, though he sounded a bit reluctant.

Shiro poured coffee for them. “Well, your heat may be ending, but that won’t keep us from having our fun, hmm?”

“Yeah, that’s true…” Lance dug into his scrambled eggs. “This has been by far my best heat ever, all thanks to you. In fact, this has probably been the best heat ever, in the history of heats.”

“It’s what finally got us to talk about our feelings, after all.”

“We’re lucky that my heat came when it did; if I had waited much longer to tell you, I think I would have exploded!”

 

* * *

 

Shiro parked his car in his assigned parking space. The two of them wearily stared at the front side of the Garrison; they both just wanted to stay put. Lance enjoyed his fighter pilot training and Shiro loved his job, but the week of Lance’s heat had built a little cocoon around them that they weren’t looking forward to breaking out of.

Lance glanced over to Shiro. “One of us has to be the first to get out.”

“Not me!” they both said together.

“Alright, at the same time, then,” Shiro suggested.

They each put a hand to their respective car doors, and, after a countdown that was perhaps slower than necessary, they both pulled the door handles, raced out of the car, and slammed the doors closed.

“Alright, back to real life.” Lance blew out his lips, adjusting his shoulder bag.

“Back to real life,” Shiro repeated as he rounded the car. “Together.”

Smiling, Lance took his hand and laced their fingers.

“Together.” 

 

* * *

 

Shiro had assumed that going back to work after taking the week off would be easy, just like riding a bike. It wasn’t that simple, though. On top of his vacation coming to an end, there was more work than usual. The missing files Iverson had called him about had been recovered, fortunately, but while they had been missing, Shiro’s team had not been able to make much progress.

“You didn’t miss much, actually,” Sam was telling Shiro as he unpacked his supplies from his work satchel, returning things to where they had been in his office during his absence. Crossing his arms, Sam leaned against the wall next to Shiro’s desk; he tapped his foot absentmindedly. “It’s like we lost half a week.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help…”

Sam stopped him. “Don’t be, Shiro. You were where you need to be! It _is_ nice to have you back, though. We’ll get caught up in no time.”

“Thanks. Let’s just hope the taskforce sees it that way.” He also hoped that they wouldn’t lose their funding because of the incident, but neither of them wanted to bring that up.

As he spoke, Shiro set up a picture frame next to his large desktop computer; in it was a photo he had taken of Lance the day before. He had been playing with Natsu on their bed; after the session of roughhousing, Natsu had ungracefully plopped down in Lance’s lap for a belly rub and Shiro captured the moment Lance had burst into laughter, his eyes glancing up to meet Shiro’s, sparkling with amusement, affection, and joy. When Shiro had checked his phone’s photo gallery later that day, he knew he needed to have that one in particular on his desk at the Garrison.

Sam leaned over to see the picture frame.

“Aw, nice!” he said with a grin. “I’m glad Lance’s heat went well. He’s back to his studies now, yeah?”

“Yep; we both enjoyed the week off, but I could tell he was starting to miss his friends and going to classes and training.”

“I’ll have to stop by Sal’s today and welcome him back!”

 

* * *

 

That afternoon, Shiro had a board meeting; it was mostly routine, but they did have to address the issue of making up for the time they had lost the previous week. Shiro was just jotting down a note on his tablet about what Montgomery was saying when he got a notification: a text from Lance. Shiro quickly finished the sentence he was writing before opening the text.

**Are you busy?**

**I’m in a meeting, but it’s wrapping up, so we should be done in ten minutes or so.** Shiro replied. **Are you okay?**

**Can I meet you at your office right after?**

Shiro blinked in surprise before feeling worry settle in. Had Lance’s heat returned, while he was out in public? Was he hurt? _No, he would tell me directly if it was something like that,_ he quickly reasoned. But Lance was waiting for his response.

**Of course.**

 

* * *

 

When the meeting concluded, Shiro bolted from his chair and was at the conference room door in a flash; out of the corner of his eye, he saw Iverson had noticed his quick escape, but he wasn’t about to turn around and explain himself. Fortunately, his office was just down the hall from the conference room. Inside, he found Lance waiting for him. Without a word, Shiro shut the door behind him and immediately enveloped Lance in his arms, his hands spreading to cover his back protectively. Lance felt oddly stiff in his embrace.

“Lance, what’s wrong?”

Pulling back, Lance looked unspeakably sad.

“Shiro… I… I lost your scent. It’s completely gone. I had it this morning before we left home, but now…” He nervously carded his fingers across his own scent gland on his neck.

Shiro’s face fell. For some reason, Lance was blaming himself for the fact that Shiro’s scent had faded.

“Oh, babe, it’s alright.” Shiro guided his distraught mate to sit in his office chair before lowering down and squatting in front of Lance. “It’s not your fault. My scent was really strong on you during your heat because we were together all the time and your body was more receptive. But just being around other people today and somewhere other than our home, you just naturally picked up other scents.”

“Oh…” Lance said, nodding slowly. He took a shaky breath of relief. “I thought something was wrong with me…”

Shiro grabbed Lance’s hands and kissed them. “No, no, not all. I didn’t even think to give you a fresh scenting this morning. I’m sorry, Lance; I hate that you felt so worried on your first day back…”

“I have one more class today, and then target practice with the guys…” A small grin tugged Lance’s lips. “Could… could you scent me now?”

Shiro snorted in surprise and amusement, before checking the time. “I do have some stuff to get done before going home today…” he said, quickly going through a mental checklist. “But… I should have time!”

Lance’s smile grew back to its normal brilliance, his anxiety about having lost Shiro’s scent now long gone. Still sitting on his haunches, Shiro reached up to stroke his fingers along the curve of Lance’s jaw.

“Missed you,” he murmured.

“It’s only been a few hours.” Lance smiled and leaned in to kiss Shiro. “But yeah, I missed you too.”

The kiss was slow and thorough, taking their time despite not having a wide-open schedule. Inching closer to the office chair, Shiro nosed into the crease of Lance’s neck, where Lance’s scent was usually strongest, but now, the smells of military-grade disinfectant, engine oil (Lance had had his Space Systems Engineering class earlier that morning), and hundreds of other people were almost overpowering. It was all wrong to Shiro: he suddenly felt desperate to rid Lance of the foreign odors.

Shiro busied his hands, untucking Lance’s uniform shirt to sneak his fingers underneath. He touched every part of Lance’s lower body that he could reach, stroking his skin until Lance began to flush with arousal despite the fact the touches were not even very sexual. Shiro was merely scenting him, but after their week of constantly being together, it felt like it had been ages since they had been intimate; Shiro could certainly empathize, as his skin itched to have more contact with Lance’s. His tongue pressed into their mating mark, rumbling happily as Lance hooked his arms around the back of Shiro’s neck, holding him in place. 

When Shiro heard Lance groaned into his mouth, he murmured, “We can’t do much here, okay?” he reminded him, not wanting Lance walking away frustrated. “Once I finish scenting you, we’ll have to stop.” 

Lance just nodded.

“Did I ever tell you how much I love your scent?” Shiro asked conversationally, as if Lance wasn’t gasping beneath his touch.

Shiro’s hands were at his sides. Up and down and up his chest. Over his ribcage. Roaming everywhere. Up his neck. Tangling in his hair. Shiro’s cheek pressed against his. One side and then the other. Tongue traveling up the column of Lance’s neck to then tease at the shell of his ear.

And, best of all, around him was Lance’s scent; he could almost taste it on his tongue. _Omega. Happy. Content. Our scents, together again._ It was everywhere.

Every breath made Shiro want to cry with happiness. It also made him want to fuck Lance, right there in the desk chair of his office, until both of their scents mingled with the musk of sex that had been so strong during the week of Lance’s heat.

But they were in his office, so he wasn’t going to do either at the moment.

“I do, you know. Love your scent. It’s my favorite in the whole world. Whether on its own or combined with mine: it’s delicious.”

Lance released his hold from Shiro’s shoulders, though Shiro wasn’t going anywhere.

“You _are_ smelling better now, though,” Shiro whispered against his collarbone.

His hands roamed back up Lance’s back, his lips rubbing against Lance’s throat, and he inhaled deeply, smelling primarily Lance’s sweet scent with an undercurrent of his own; the smells Lance had picked up just from being at the Garrison for a few hours were still there, but much fainter now. Shiro stroked his cheeks and his hair, before smoothing his uniform from where he had mussed it.

“That should last until we get home. From now on, I’ll scent you every morning, so that you’ll never lose it again, alright?”

Swallowing, Lane finally made out, “Good. I think that’ll be a bit more efficient than what we’re doing now!” They shared one more kiss. Before fully pulling apart, Lance murmured, “I should get going now…”

“Yeah. I won’t ever get any work done with you around!” Shiro stood and back away from the office chair so Lance could stand up.

“See you tonight after target practice!” Lance said, heading to the door before they could get sidetracked again.

“Alright, have fun! I love you!”

“Love you, too!”

And with that, Lance left and closed the door behind him, leaving Shiro’s office feeling oddly quiet and empty in comparison. It took a while for Shiro to regain his focus and return his attention to his work, but it had been nice to have a visitor. _Especially_ when that visitor was Lance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Your feedback and kudos are super helpful and encouraging! <3
> 
> This week and next week I'll be having final exams at university, so my next update may not be until mid-December. I hope everyone who is going through finals right now does well; take care of yourself!


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So… Season 8 was a thing that happened, huh? Since Shance didn’t have much of a chance, I was hoping for Klance to become canon, but at least the ending was somewhat open-ended on that front (Keith visiting Lance at his family’s farm anyone??), and I’m glad Shiro and Curtis had a happy ending. I have a few bones to pick with Dreamworks, but I will forever love Voltron for what it is.
> 
> Onto a brighter topic! A while ago, I got to thinking that I’d like to make a Tumblr for this fic series, posting and reblogging general Shance content as well as taking asks and submissions about “beneath the uncountable star.” But with everything that’s happened on Tumblr recently with the adult-content ban, I decided that a Twitter would probably be better. So, I now have a BTUS Twitter, @WonderWhispFic! I’m not super active yet, but keep an eye out, and come say hi!
> 
> Anyway! Here’s a special Christmas chapter! Enjoy!

Christmas was about two weeks away, so Shiro and Lance were planning to host a little Christmas party for their friends. Shiro had received fifteen invites to Christmas parties thrown by friends and coworkers of his parents; they extended invitations to him every year as a curtesy, but he never so much as RSVP’d. Lance had brought in the mail after coming home from his shift at the café; among the letters was yet another party announcement.

“Are they all _that_ uppity?” Lance asked as Shiro threw away the envelope, unopened.

“Yeah, and everyone going to those parties is going to have the super traditional views of the dynamics, Omegas in particular. Like my parents, but about ten times worse and there’s fifty of them instead of two.”

Lance hoisted himself up to sit on the kitchen counter. “Good point,” he said, making a face at the thought. “Well, _our_ Christmas party will be about a billion times better!” He pulled his phone out and opened up his checklist for the occasion. “Okay, so everyone from the café can come, but the Holts won’t be able to since they’re going on their big Christmas vacation. Hunk is making a cake, Shay is doing a fruit tray, and Keith is bringing the eggnog. Have you heard back from Coran and Allura?”

“Yeah, they’re coming, too,” Shiro said with a nod. “Allura said she can bring some kind of puff pastry appetizer and Coran insisted on doing his ‘famous’ fruit cake.”

Lance grinned knowingly. Katie had forewarned him about the Smythe family-recipe fruit cake.

“ _Great_. I guess we’ll just have to get small slices of it!” 

 

* * *

 

Two days later, they had finished decorating the house in all shades of red, green, and gold and they had picked out a handsome Christmas tree and decorated it with Shiro’s collection of mismatched ornaments along with some paper snowflakes and strings of popcorn Lance had made. December 15th,  Shay, Hunk, and Keith arrived at 1830 sharp, having carpooled from the café, and Allura and Coran arrived right behind them, their arms full of food and wrapped Secret Santa presents for each other.

“Right this way,” Lance said, brandishing an arm in the direction of the kitchen. “You can set all the food down on the counters, and the presents in the living room!”

“Love what you’ve done with the place!” Coran said, looking around at all their decorations.

Hunk didn’t get very far down the front hallway before exclaiming, “Ooh, and look at Natsu! Her Christmas sweater is adorable! Who’s a pretty girl? You are!” He bent down to pet her; she fawned, as if she knew she was being complimented.

Having placed her fruit tray in the fridge to keep cold, Shay shut the door. “Is that a spiral cut ham I see?” she asked Shiro excitedly.

“It is! I get one every year!”

Shiro and Lance finished the last preparations of their dishes before announcing that everything was ready. They had decided to forgo a fancy dining room meal in favor of a more casual dinner seated on the couches, so everyone lined up around the kitchen counters and served themselves, buffet style, before eventually migrating to the living room. As they were all seated, balancing their plates on their laps, Natsu wandered among them all, looking for any signs of Christmas generosity; Shiro asked them all to only give her small pieces of fruit (not grapes, of course), and once she had received a few treats, she settled down in the middle of the room, looking content.

“Today was the last day the café was open before Winter Break, right?” Lance asked Keith, sitting next to him. “How’d things go?”

He shrugged. “Pretty well. It was dead most of the day and then an hour before closing, everyone seemed to realize we wouldn’t be open for the holidays and rushed to get their last coffees.”

“And of course, the milk frother decided to go kaput right in the middle of the rush, so we had to froth all the milk by hand!” Shay added.

“Oh, no!” Lance cried sympathetically.

“You should have seen Shay, though!” Hunk said. “She was frothing up a storm! I don’t think anyone even noticed the machine was broken, she was so fast!”

Shay giggled at the praise.

“I’m sure that was quite the sight!” Allura laughed.

Lance turned to Shiro. “Isn’t that your phone?” he said quietly, so as to not interrupt the others’ conversation.

Shiro paused to listen; he hadn’t even noticed the familiar chime through the lively chatter. He hurried to the kitchen, where he had left his phone. Normally, he wouldn’t answer a call while spending time with friends, but he figured his parents would be calling sometime that week to ask after his holiday plans and he was paranoid he would miss it. Checking the screen, however, he saw it wasn’t his parents.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered under his breath, before answering, “Hello, Iverson.”

“Happy holidays, Shirogane,” Iverson said, his voice nearly as cheery as Shiro had ever heard it.

Shiro grabbed a gingerbread cookie from the counter. “Same to you. I’m right in the middle of Lance’s and my Christmas party, so no, I’m not coming into work.”

“It’s not that. I actually have some good news for you two. Lance has been selected to be part of that upcoming asteroid mission. He-”

“What?!” Shiro gasped, nearly dropping the cookie. “Why aren’t you telling him this directly?”

“Does he have a phone?”

“ _Yes_ , Iverson, he does. You know, like most people in the 21st Century. You could have looked up his number from his cadet file.” Before Shiro started off on a lecture of how outdated Iverson’s assumption had been, he merely said, “Let me get him. This is huge; he needs to hear the news from you.”

Dropping the phone away from his ear, Shiro approached the living room, caught Lance’s eye, and waved him over. Lance asked Coran to “hold that thought,” before standing up and joining Shiro in the kitchen.

“Iverson’s on the phone for you.”

“What’s wrong?” Lance asked, concern filling his eyes.

“Nothing, surprisingly,” Shiro grinned. He handed over his phone to Lance, who put it to his ear.

“Hello, Commander Iverson,” Lance said, his tone formal. He listened to the other end, eyebrow furrowed with intent.

For some reason, Shiro felt nervousness fill his stomach, but it was mostly anticipation for his mate’s reaction. The _Opal_ mission would be the first that Lance’s class would be going on; there was a limited number of openings, so only the top students would be chosen for it.

As he listened to Iverson, Lance’s face gradually shifted from mild worriedness, to thoughtfulness, to surprise, then finally settling on joy. With his free hand, Lance grasped a handful of his own hair; he covered his gaping smile, looking all around the kitchen and then directly to Shiro.

“O-oh my God, wow- I mean… That’d be so-” He coughed and corrected himself. “I would be honored to accompany the _Opal_ on this mission. Thank you very much for this opport-”

Iverson must have interrupted him, as Lance suddenly clammed up to listen again. _What on earth could he be saying…?_ Shiro wondered, upset that Iverson wouldn’t even take the time to listen to Lance’s gratitude.

“Right… I understand, sir. Absolutely.” Biting his lower lip, Lance had grown solemn again, though this time, his tone was a bit different. Submissive, almost.

Determined to know the reason behind the change in Lance’s disposition, Shiro held out his hand to Lance, wordlessly requesting his phone back; Lance returned it to him.

“Iverson, what did you just say?” he demanded.

It took Iverson a moment to respond, as if he was balking. “…Simply that Lance will be observed closely while on this mission, and that it will determine much about his career.”

Shiro felt in his gut that Iverson wasn’t saying everything. “And…?”

“And… the success of the mission will be reflected on his dynamic. Lance has done well so far, but if he proves unable to handle being in space, then the chances of other Omegas becoming fighter pilots will decrease significantly.”

Shiro couldn’t respond, the anger brewing in his chest felt overwhelming. But then Lance was placing a calming hand on his arm, bringing his eyes to his own. _It’s fine,_ he mouthed, _I’ve got this._ He no longer looked submissive like he had been while talking to Iverson; standing tall and gaze steely, he looked like a soldier; determined, tough, and ready. Reading Lance’s body language in a flash, Shiro swallowed the indignation down and gave Lance the phone again.

“I won’t let you down,” Lance said into the phone’s speaker, but his words were meant more for Shiro than Iverson.

Shiro believed him, wholeheartedly. 

 

* * *

 

When the two of them returned to the living room, their friends’ conversations had died down and all eyes were on them, expectant and curious. They must have noticed Shiro and Lance’s kitchen phone call.

“What was that about?” Shay asked, cocking her head.

“I was chosen to go on the _Opal_ mission, to study the Trojan and Main Belt Asteroids!” Lance declared with no preamble; he was bursting with excitement.

Allura, Coran, Shay, Hunk, and Keith broke out into cheers and applause with congrats all around. Shiro ran back to the kitchen to grab the eggnog and wine glasses; they were going to wait until later to have the eggnog, but it felt appropriate to have a toast right then.

“They’re probably still in the process of calling everyone, so hopefully you guys will get chosen, too!” Lance added once the celebrations had calmed down. He obviously didn’t want Hunk, Keith, and Shay to feel left out.

“Well, regardless of if we’re chosen, too, you’ve worked so hard and you definitely deserve it, Lance,” Keith said, raising his glass in Lance’s direction.

“Totally,” Hunk added. “You’ve only been back at the Garrison for six months and you’ve already gotten to the top of the class! You’ll have to tell the Holts, too; they’ll be so excited to hear the news!”

“Well done, lad!” Coran came around to give Lance an affectionate noogie on the head.

Lance smiled at them all, a bit bashful from their words; Shiro could tell he was still trying to take it all in.

“When do you leave?” Allura asked, taking a sip of her eggnog.

Lance shrugged a bit sadly. “On Christmas, actually.”

“That sucks!” Hunk said, his brow furrowing.

Coran crossed his arms. “And it’s such short notice; I wonder how that happened?”

“I don’t know; Iverson didn’t say anything about that, surprise, surprise,” Shiro said with a swift roll of his eyes. “But at least the mission will only be for two weeks, so we won’t be apart for too long.” He wrapped an arm around Lance and hugged him close.

The Christmas party continued well into the evening, the conversations easy and meandering; by the end of the night, Lance had to restart his Spotify playlist twice. Things had been so busy at the Garrison, so the gathering of friends felt like their first chance to catch their collective breaths. Shiro and Lance settled back into the couch, with Lance nestled against Shiro’s chest and their feet rested on the coffee table; he eventually grew so still that Shiro had to look down to see if he had fallen asleep. But Lance’s eyes were wide open, a small smile on his lips; he was mellow from all the rich food and looked utterly content, surrounded by Shiro and their friends, their voices familiar and comforting, the atmosphere of the living room cozy and merry. Lance eventually noticed Shiro’s eyes on him and stretched upward a bit, seeking a brief kiss.

“I’m so proud of you, Lance,” Shiro said, just loud enough for Lance to hear. “I can’t wait for the whole Garrison to see what you’re made of.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading; your comments and kudos keep me writing! I hope you all have a wonderful, restful holiday season! ❤


	26. Chapter 26

The rest of the week leading up to Christmas was a mad dash. Lance had orientation classes to attend three days in a row to prepare him and the rest of the _Opal_ crew. The mission, as they found out, was mostly routine, checking in on the Trojan and Main Belt Asteroids and observing any changes; it was not exactly relevant to Lance’s training as a fighter pilot, but any experience in piloting crafts and being in space would be beneficial. 

During one of those meetings, the cadets were also informed about a new training curriculum where shorter missions would be assigned with very little notice to simulate emergencies in the future, when having just a handful of days to prepare would be considered luxurious; the inconvenience of the mission beginning on Christmas was likely intentional, as well. Shiro thought this was a bit odd when Lance told him, as the majority of the missions he had been a part of had had at least a month of notice.

“I guess they want you to be ready for anything!” he commented when Lance explained this to him.

In addition to the orientation meetings, Lance spent much of his time that week getting to know his ten fellow crewmembers and the mission supervisor. Hunk was the only one of Lance’s friends to be selected for the _Opal_ mission, but unfortunately, with Hunk being a mechanic, he and Lance would likely not be seeing much of each other.

Lance arrived home from his final pre-mission meeting the evening of December 23rd. The cadets would be given Christmas Eve off to rest and get ready for launch. After crashing on the couch for a bit, Lance got up and found Shiro in the kitchen.

“How long until supper’s ready, babe? I’m going to take my bike to the mall real quick and get a few last Christmas presents for you.”  

Shiro picked up his wooden spoon and gave the pot of homemade soup on the stove a stir. “About half an hour. Why don’t you go shopping tomorrow? You must be exhausted.”

“I’d like to be able to stay home tomorrow and just chill,” Lance said through a yawn. “I already have your main Christmas present – it came in the mail two days ago – so I’d just be finding a few smaller things so you have more to unwrap.”

“Lance, don’t worry about that; there’s no need to go out shopping after the week you’ve had.” Before Lance could argue, Shiro persisted, “In fact, let’s just give each other one present for Christmas; I’ll just give you my favorite of the gifts I was going to give you, and save the others for your next birthday.”

Lance twisted up his lips, as if thinking of a counterpoint, but eventually he relented. “Alright, thanks,” he said with a slow smile.

“Get some rest before supper,” Shiro said, making a shooing motion with his spoon in the direction of the living room. “That’s an order, Cadet Cicerón.”

Close at his heels, Natsu followed Lance on his way toward the living room; she wasn’t much interested in the rather simple soup preparation. Before turning the corner into the living room, however, Lance looked over his shoulder.

“Yes, _sir_.”

Shiro felt himself flush under Lance’s amused gaze. He had never had much of a military kink, but there was just something in Lance’s tone that sent a shiver down his spine. He would have to keep that in mind for the future. 

 

* * *

 

The plan was to make Christmas Eve, their last day together before Lance’s mission, as lazy and relaxing as possible. After a breakfast of Christmas tree-shaped pancakes, they headed back upstairs to their bedroom, bringing with them hot chocolate and their presents for each other. Quickly joined by Natsu, they fell into their bed, creating a cuddle pile. Lance took a big sip of his hot chocolate before passing his wrapped box over to Shiro.

“Open mine first!”

Shiro set his mug on the nightstand. “Alright!”

It was a small, white box with a purple ribbon. Shiro shook it lightly next to his ear to get a clue of what was inside.

“Go ahead!” Lance urged, gripping Shiro’s arm.

“Okay, fine!”

He carefully undid the ribbon, removed the lid, and set them aside to look into the contents of the box. Inside, he found a bracelet, ringed with circular stone beads. All of them were black, except for one, which was an electric blue. As Shiro picked it up out of the box, Natsu joined him in examining it, though she primarily used her nose to inspect the new object. Shiro didn’t normally wear much jewelry, so when he glanced up to Lance to ask about the bracelet, he saw that Lance had, in the meantime, put a matching bracelet onto his own wrist. Lance’s bracelet had beads of that same bright blue, all except for one black bead.

“The website called them ‘distance bracelets.’” Lance slipped the black bracelet onto Shiro’s wrist, then held out his own wrist to pose it next to Shiro’s; their two bracelets were inverse mirrors of each other. “I’m really excited for the mission, but I’m also really going to miss you while I’m gone… But I thought that these bracelets could be like a visual reminder of our bond, whenever we’re apart; we’ll both have of a piece of each other: blue for me, and black for you.”

Lance’s eyes flitted up from their side-by-side wrists to meet Shiro’s eyes, as if looking for his response to the present. But Shiro was so shocked by the thoughtfulness of Lance’s gift, he almost didn’t know how to respond.

Lance shrugged. “I know it’s kinda cheesy, but…” he said into the silence, but Shiro didn’t let him continue, as he cupped Lance’s chin in both hands and kissed him soundly.

“It’s not cheesy at all,” Shiro said, pressing his forehead to Lance’s. “It’s the sweetest gift I’ve ever received. Thank you, Lance.”

Seeing their affection, Natsu wedged herself between the two of them, flopping down in their shared laps. Lance seemed a bit relieved that Shiro liked the bracelets, as his laugh at their dog’s antics was a bit shaky, but his smile as he rubbed Natsu’s exposed belly was full of joy. Chuckling, Shiro ducked his head and gave Natsu’s head a smooch, too.

“So that leaves my gift,” he said, reaching behind his back to get it. As Lance unwrapped the box, he continued, “And you know what they say about great minds…”

“A watch!” Lance excitedly removed it from the box.

“Yeah! I can’t believe we both got each other wristwear!” 

After he removed the packaging, Lance put the watch on his wrist, below the bracelet; once it was in place, he looked at it more closely.

“Wait a sec… Is this…?” He brought the watch up to his eyes and adjusted the angle of his wrist so he could examine the watch’s face in better detail. “These are constellations! It’s a planisphere!” he exclaimed in realization.

“Yep! It’s a normal watch, but it also shows the current position of the stars above the northern hemisphere. I got it for you before you were assigned to the _Opal_ mission, and now it’s even more appropriate!”

“That’s _so_ cool!”

Shiro gently took Lance’s hand and helped him adjust the watch’s crown to the proper date and time, as it hadn’t been set yet. The planisphere made it more complicated, so they had to consult the instruction manual it came with, but they soon got it figured out. Lance eventually ended up leaning against Shiro’s chest, sitting between his legs, as they both continued to inspect the watch and all its intricacies.

“I kinda wish I had gotten you something as romantic as the bracelets…” Shiro said, scratching his chin.

Lance spun his head around. “No, I love it! It’s perfect. Having a watch is a lot more professional than checking my phone for the time, so it’ll definitely be useful in formal settings. And you know how much I love space, so it was an obvious choice! And… to be honest, I was a little hesitant about the bracelets; I wanted the gift to be perfect, especially with this being our first Christmas…”

“Well, I’d say we did pretty well,” Shiro said, tightening his arms around Lance.

They spent most of the day in bed, marathoning Christmas movies and napping. After Lance’s busy week, Natsu was overjoyed that they were both home at the same time, and relaxed at the foot of their bed, or sprawled across their laps. Lance continued wearing the watch, despite staying in his pajamas all day; Shiro noticed him checking the time several times an hour, if only just to admire the fascinating face of the watch. As they snuggled in bed together, their matching bracelets would often brush against each other.

“What does your family like to do for Christmas?” Shiro asked later that day, as they were both just looking at their phones.

Lance’s expression took on a distant look. “Our Christmases in Cuba are a lot different from American Christmases, I think. We actually do most of our celebrations on Christmas Eve; everyone pitches in to make a big feast, with a roasted pig – the lechon asado – and a ton of side dishes like black beans with white rice, yucca with garlic sauce, fried plantains and fresh fruit of all kinds. The whole family hangs out and everyone stays up late – all the grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, my siblings and their mates and kids – and we start opening presents at the stroke of midnight. We don’t really tell kids about Santa or anything; Christmas is more about just spending time with loved ones. What about you?”

“My parents and I aren’t very close to our extended family, so it was always the three of us. We always went to the same Christmas tree lot to pick out our tree; my mom always wanted the tallest and the greenest one available. When I was a kid, I would come downstairs Christmas morning to find presents under the tree, and that night, our chef would make us a big Christmas dinner with turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and everything else. But my parents became busier with work through my teenage years, so we eventually did less and less, so…” He merely shrugged.

“I’m sorry, Shiro,” Lance said, his eyebrow creasing. “I didn’t mean to brag about my family’s Christmas…”

“No, I know, of course not. And I wasn’t looking for pity, babe.” Shiro gave him an easy smile. “Christmas is different for everyone, I guess. But I have a feeling our family’s future Christmases will be wonderful.”

Lance nodded enthusiastically. “And hopefully I’ll be actually home for Christmas next year!” 

 

* * *

 

They were planning on going to bed at 2030 so that they could wake up at 0500 the next morning. Before going to sleep, however, they wanted to make love one more time before Lance’s departure. It had begun raining hours ago, starting lightly at first, but now rain sloshed against their bedroom windows, as if trying to come in; it only added to the coziness of their bedroom.

Shiro was lying with Lance’s ass and lower back poised upwards towards his pelvis. Flushed all over and eyes blazing, Lance appeared to be painfully hard, having been aroused from the thorough anal preparation, and Shiro was eager to relieve him.

“Are you ready?”

Lance managed a nod. “Hmm-mm.”

Shiro sat back on his knees and brought Lance’s legs up to rest them on his thighs for a better position. Propping his elbows against the mattress on either side of Lance’s pillow, he leaned in for a soft kiss. Lance encircled his arms around his neck, holding him close; his erection rubbed against Shiro’s own cock.

Reaching down, Shiro aligned himself at Lance’s entrance and, with a deep exhale – slowly, carefully – he eased inside. Lance moaned into the kiss before tilting his head back against his pillow; Shiro trailed his lips along his chin before nibbling the tender flesh of his neck.

“Ah, God… keep going, Shiro,” Lance murmured, “Oh,  _oh_ …! ‘M so full…”

Shiro obliged, pressing further and further into Lance’s tight heat. Regardless of how many times he had experienced it in the past, the feeling of entering Lance was indescribable; warmth enveloped him, and his cock may as well have been wrapped in velvet.

Once Lance completely accommodated him, Shiro said, “I’m going to start moving now, alright?”

_“Please.”_

Shiro began to pump in and out, slowly at first before gaining speed. Lance matched his movements, his muscles contracting and relaxing exquisitely around Shiro. Fingers digging into Shiro’s hair, he bit back another moan.

“Let me hear you, love,” Shiro whispered into his ear. “There’s no one around. Let me hear you scream.”

With another cant of Shiro’s hips, Lance made a strangled noise before crying out, followed by a long, loud groan.

“Oh, Shiro…!” he keened. “Hmf, ahh- _ah!_  Oh, God,  _yes_ , Shiro! D-don’t stop…! Ah!” From there, his words dissolved into nonsensical babbling, but it still sounded like music to Shiro’s ears.  

Supporting himself on his forearms, Shiro leaned in closer so that Lance’s throbbing cock rubbed between their stomachs each time he shifted. Shiro adjusted his angle slightly, causing Lance’s hands to fly down Shiro’s back. Only a few more moments of this passed before Lance inhaled sharply and arched his back, burying Shiro even deeper. Shiro felt Lance’s orgasm build, his body stuttering and quaking beneath him and suddenly, both their abdomens were painted with his essence. Before he knew it, Shiro’s own climax came crashing down on him, as well; with one more thrust, he trembled intensely, releasing his load deep inside of Lance. His knot swelled, though it did not lodge nearly as firmly as it had during Lance’s heat.

Moans and breathless versions of each other’s names tumbled out of their lips in unison as they rode out their high together. Going limp, Shiro draped himself across Lance’s heaving chest. He leaned over for a kiss before letting his head fall back against his pillow. Shiro turned onto his side and Lance did the same, tangling their legs together, unmindful of the sticky mess between them.

“I’m going to miss this bed,” Lance murmured sleepily. “Gonna miss you.”

“Me too, babe. But you’ll be home before you know it.”

Wrapped in a tight embrace, thoroughly and happily drained, the two men soon fell asleep. Outside, the storm quieted, as if in reverence for their last night together. 

 

* * *

 

0500 came all too soon; they had drifted off to sleep right on time that night, but the sound of Lance’s alarm clock was grating on their ears. But Lance had to report to the Garrison by 0545, so there was no helping it: they had to get up. Being long-sleeved, Lance’s uniform covered both his new watch and the blue-and-black bracelet, but their presence on his wrist alone seemed to ease his nerves.

They ate a quick breakfast together and took thermoses of coffee. As it was so early, neither were very chatty, though near the end of the car ride, Lance spoke up.

“Look at the stars…” he said, his head leaned against the window next to his seat. The sun had not risen yet, so the stars were still very visible on the long, desert road leading up to the Garrison. “I… I feel like I can do anything with you at my side. Like I'm under the night sky, looking up at the stars, seeing all of life’s possibilities." Looking over to Shiro, Lance took his hand; they rested their joined fingers on the car armrest. "You’ve been supportive of me every step of the way leading up to today, and I'm so thankful."

Shiro’s eyes filled with tears and he had trouble focusing on driving, but fortunately, the road was completely deserted.

“No matter what happens, no matter what Iverson or anyone else thinks, you have earned your position on this mission, and you’re going to be a valuable member of the _Opal_ team.”

Lance did not verbally respond, but, glancing to him, Shiro saw that he was crying a bit, too. He brought Lance’s hand to his lips to kiss it.

They soon arrived at the Garrison; due to the early hour, the parking lot was almost completely empty. As he would not be there long, Shiro parked near the entrance rather than his assigned parking spot. Hand in hand, the two of them walked inside, heading toward the launch site in the North Wing, where the _Opal_ was undergoing final preparations. The crew waiting area was right outside the launch site; three of the twelve crew members were already there, including the mission supervisor, Commander Goldstein, a no-nonsense Beta in her mid-sixties. The remaining team members arrived within the next ten minutes, all appearing at least somewhat sleepy, but at the same time, quite eager. This would be a first for the eleven cadets. When Hunk arrived, Lance made a bee-line for him.

“Morning, bud!” Lance said, giving him a high-five.

“Hey, Lance,” Hunk said through a large yawn.

“You still nervous about getting nauseous?”

“I just took my motion-sickness medicine, so I think I’ll be okay. I’ll be in the engine room, anyway, so not having windows around me should help.”

“You’re gonna do great!” Shiro said, approaching the two. “Everyone feels a bit queasy their first time going up, whether they admit it or not.”

Hunk looked a bit relieved to hear this.

At a desk at the far end of the room, Commander Goldstein finished some paperwork and closed her small tablet. She stood, and her impressive height brought all eyes forward.

Lance greeted her with a smart salute. “Good morning, Commander Goldstein. Lance Cicerón, reporting for duty.”

“Good morning, Cadet Cicerón,” she said, returning the salute. Turning to Shiro, she said, “You’re not a part of the _Opal_ mission, are you, Shirogane?”

“Ah, no, I’m not,” Shiro said. “I am here to see Lance off.”

“That’s right, Cicerón is the Omega pilot,” Goldstein said, referring to her notes. “As his Alpha, are you quite sure about this?”

“Absolutely,” he replied without hesitation.

Goldstein’s raised eyebrows relaxed a bit. “Alright, then. I have heard good things about you, Cicerón; otherwise, I would not have chosen you for this mission. I will be watching closely.”

Shiro felt uneasy that she was reiterating what Iverson had told Lance over the phone during their Christmas party – did they really need to act like Lance was child, needing to be babysat at all times? – but Lance took it in stride.

“Yes, ma’am. I will do my best.”

Goldstein gave him one last appraising look before addressing the room full of cadets, “Thank you for coming this morning. The Galaxy Garrison is proud to send the class of 2032 on its first galactic mission, via the _Opal_ spacecraft.” She received a notification on her comm-pad; she checked it quickly. “We will be departing shortly.”

After doing a rapid-fire rollcall and making a few final notes, Goldstein gestured for them to follow her to the changing rooms, where they would receive their flightsuits, already fitted for them.

“Well, this is where we part,” Lance told Shiro. “You’ll stay to watch the takeoff, right?”

“Of course; I wouldn’t miss it.”

Shiro hadn’t expected launch time to come so quickly; they had only just arrived. He didn’t feel ready to say goodbye, but he knew it would do no good to delay it. Taking Lance’s hands in his, he pulled him in for a quick kiss. Before he could give Lance any last words of encouragement, Goldstein cleared her throat, prompting Lance to get going. All they could say was one more “I love you” before Lance reluctantly let go of Shiro’s hands and turned away. Left alone in the waiting area, Shiro’s heart hammered in his chest with pride, hope, and a pinch of apprehension. He watched his mate as he joined his crew and disappeared down the long hallway, toward the changing rooms, toward the launch pad, toward his future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading; I would love to hear from you in the comments section. Happy New Year!
> 
> If you're curious, here are links to Lance's and Shiro's presents to each other:  
> [Lance's present to Shiro](https://www.distancebracelets.com/products/electric-blue-distance-bracelets?variant=12466886836306&gclid=CjwKCAiA0uLgBRABEiwAecFnk2pkPLUEmRJ2q3c4GBhwy46AliqJSjPg_eim9_UQ8qz4H_nVc-wsPBoCzqsQAvD_BwE)  
> [Shiro's present to Lance](https://www.uncommongoods.com/product/planisphere-watch)
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @WonderWhispFic! I post chapter updates and retweet Shance stuff I like. If you'd like to draw fanart or anything inspired by "beneath the uncountable stars," I'd absolutely love to see it! Feel free to send me a DM and yell about Shance :)


	27. Chapter 27

The _Opal_ launched without a hitch, and Shiro returned home at 0700. Natsu met him at the front door, looking confused by Lance’s absence, as he was always home in the morning.

“Sorry, baby girl,” he told her, bending down to be on eye-level with her. “Lance will be gone for a while. It’s just you and me again.” He scratched her thoroughly behind her floppy ears.

Saying those words aloud, it occurred to Shiro just how quiet his house was without Lance. In the seven months they had been living together, Lance was often at the Garrison or out and about when Shiro was at home, but this was viscerally different: Lance would returning home in two weeks, not just a couple of hours. It reminded Shiro all too much of his life before Lance: quiet, repetitive, lonely. Fortunately, it wouldn’t be forever.  

He spent a good portion of his free time during and after work at Sal’s that week, hanging out with the remaining café crew of Shay and Keith. Katie was now behind the counter, as well; after much coaxing from Hunk, she had agreed to become a temporary barista during his and Lance’s absence.

“I love coffee, but I hate being the one making it,” she told Shiro the first time he came to visit since the _Opal_ mission.

“Well, I know Lance and Hunk appreciate your sacrifice,” he replied with a grin as she handed over a coffee cup to him.

Just then, Shay walked by and took a quick picture of Katie on her phone, laughing in success. “Gotcha!”

Shiro raised an eyebrow in question.

“Hunk asked me to get photographic evidence of Katie actually doing her job,” she explained. After quickly texting Hunk the picture, she asked, “Have you heard from Lance much?”

“Not really. We’ve been texting a bit, but he said he and his copilot have been working constantly the last three days, only stopping to catch a few hours of sleep here and there. But for the last leg of the outward-bound trip, the other two pilots will be taking their turn, so he’ll have more time to rest, as of tonight.”

“That’s great! You guys will have to do a video-call when his shift ends,” Shay said as she started on a new drink order. “Tell him ‘hi’ for us!”

“That is, if you’re not too busy, doing _other_ things during your video-call,” Keith added, waggling his eyebrows.

“We’re _not_ talking about this!” Shiro said, turning on his heel away from the counter to hide his burning face. He left the café longue, his friends giggling behind his back. 

 

* * *

 

The sound of Lance’s ringtone had Shiro leaping out of bed and fumbling with the TV remote to turn it off. He had settled in for the night, unsure of what time Lance would be ending his 30-hour (not including short sleep breaks) shift in the pilot’s seat.

“Lance, hey!” he said, beginning the video-call, but the WI-FI connection was rather slow. Waiting for the call to finish connecting, he took a lap around their bedroom before settling back into bed.

Eventually, Lance’s face appeared on Shiro’s screen; he was sitting on his bunk, and he looked exhausted and happy at the same time.

“Shiro, can you hear me?”

“Yeah, I’m here!” Shiro said, waving excitedly. “Pretty cool that we’re making such a long-distance call, huh?”

“I know, and the picture quality of the video call actually pretty good! I’m so glad to see you. The mission has been going well so far, but I wish you were here!”  

“I do, too! Where are you now?”

“We just passed Mars a while ago; it was _so_ pretty up close; the pictures don’t do it justice. We should be at the Trojan Belt by tomorrow, Earth-time. We- oh, hi, Natsu-boo!”

Shiro had been so engrossed in listening to Lance that he had not even noticed Natsu enter their bedroom and leap onto the bed, following the sound of Lance’s voice. He showed her his phone screen so that she could see.

“Say hi, Natsu!” Shiro told her as she settled into his lap, her long tail thumping with joy.

“Do you miss me, sweet girl? I miss you!” Lance cooed, bringing his phone up to his face.

Whining, Natsu pawed at Shiro’s phone, apparently frustrated by Lance not actually being present in the room.

“She sits at the front door all the time, waiting for you to come home. I wish I could explain to her that you’ll be home next week!”

“Ooh, give her some good kisses, scritches, and boops from me!”

“Will do!” Shiro placed a kiss right between Natsu’s ears. “So is the crew getting along well together?”

“For the most part, although it seems like some people aren’t used to living at such close quarters with others. I’m alone in the barracks right now, but that’s pretty rare since there’s nowhere else to go, other than the bridge and engine room. Hunk and I don’t see each other at all except for when we happen to be in the barracks at the same time, but we do talk over the comms sometimes, so that’s nice!”

Lance mentioned that he would only have about twenty minutes to talk before he would need to eat and go to sleep; his next shift would be primarily observing the two pilots who had taken over flying from him and his copilot, Jackie. Rapt, Shiro sat back in bed and listened to Lance’s hastily told stories from the journey so far.

Toward the end of their conversation, Lance said, “So we’re planning on spending at least two Earth-days at both asteroid belts, with one day of travel and one day to rest between each. That rest day is scheduled to be this Sunday, so then I’ll have a lot more time to talk.” He looked over his shoulder, as if to ensure the barracks door was closed and that he was still alone, before turning back to face his phone’s camera. “Maybe then, we can have some… _fun_ , too.” His lips pulled back into a mischievous smile.

Shiro laughed, both at Lance’s expression and at his suggestion. “I told the gang at Sal’s that we were planning on talking tonight, and Keith predicted that we would have phone sex. He knows us too well, obviously!”

“Yep – even being 60 million kilometers away won't keep us from making each other feel good!” Suddenly, the sound of Lance’s phone timer went off, indicating it was time for them to wrap things up. Turning the timer off, he sighed. “Well, it was nice while it lasted…”

“Go get some rest, babe; you deserve it. I’m so glad things are going well so far!”

Lance sat up from his bed and stretched his arms. “Thanks, Shiro. I love you, and I’ll talk to you as soon as I can!”

“Sounds good. I love you, too!” 

 

* * *

 

Lance had now been gone a week. A _long_ week, it was.

As he did every day, Shiro checked the mail after coming home from the Garrison. And like most every day, much of what he received was junk mail. Walking back to the house from the mailbox, he sifted through the unsolicited flyers, catalogues, and advertisements, tucking bills and that month’s edition of the surfing magazine Lance was subscribed to under his arm. But something caught his eye and stopped him in his tracks just outside his front door. The last piece of mail in the pile was an envelope, square in shape, larger than average, and a creamy white; it was addressed to “Takashi and Lance Shirogane,” even though Lance had never changed his last name, as they hadn’t seen any reason to. Shiro couldn’t think of anyone who would make such an assumption, other than…

His eyes flew to the top left of the envelope. Sure enough, it was from the Horotari Sanctuary. 

Groaning, Shiro opened the front door and let it slam behind him. He tossed the junk mail in the recycling bin in the laundry room, dropped the important pieces of mail on the kitchen counter, and sat with a huff onto the couch to further examine the envelope from the Sanctuary. He considered depositing it in the recycling bin, as well; what could they have to say that would have any bearing on Lance and him? Just seeing the organization’s name was enough to give him a headache. But against his natural inclination, something told him to open it.

Inside, he found an invitation on heavy cardstock, printed in glossy ink, the words in a graceful, cursive font:

 

 _The Horotari Sanctuary cordially invites_  
_Takashi and Lance Shirogane_  
_To attend this year’s_  
_Horotari Omega Reunion_  
_4-5 March 2023_

 

Below were further details and the email address to which they should RSVP. Shiro was so flabbergasted at the sight that he had not even noticed Natsu was sitting next to him on the couch, looking at him expectantly. He slowly raised a hand to pet her head, but his attention remained on the words in front of him.

Apparently, the Omegas who had been trained at Omegas Sanctuaries across the country in the past were invited back to their respective sanctuaries every year. Their Alphas, of course, were invited, as well, since traditional, Elite Omegas were not allowed to travel alone; additionally, the invitation was open to the Omegas’ pups, as free nursery and babysitting services would be provided. Along with the meal and entertainment, there would also be a silent auction held as part of a fundraiser they were running. The invitation also made it clear that the event would be black-tie; if he knew anything about Elite culture, Shiro was almost sure that, for the Omegas, this basically meant upscale lingerie.

Flicking the thick cardstock onto his coffee table, Shiro got up and began to pace the living room. _I guess I shouldn’t really be surprised about this, but really?_ he thought. _I bet these “reunions’ are just an excuse for the Elite Alphas from across the region to get together and show off their Omegas. Other Elites who haven’t “shopped” at Horotari in the past will probably be invited, too, to see all of their success stories, make donations, and encourage future business._

Shiro felt sickened, not only at the thought of attending the event, but also at the concept of Lance being paraded around as a testimony to Omega Sanctuaries. _No way. I helped him leave the Elite bullshit and pursue his dreams. We’re never going back there, especially not to have Lance objectified along with his past peers._

He grabbed the invitation and envelope from the coffee table and stormed into the laundry room to bury them deep in the recycling bin so that he wouldn’t have to see them every time he entered the room. He then headed upstairs to his home gym to work off the tension and anger that had come out nowhere at receiving the invitation.

_I brought Lance home from the Sanctuary, and there’s no way in hell he’s ever going back there._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Your feedback and kudos are a huge encouragement to me!
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @WonderWhispFic! I post chapter updates and retweet Shance stuff I like. If you'd like to draw fanart or anything inspired by "beneath the uncountable stars," I'd absolutely love to see it! Feel free to send me a DM and yell about Shance :)


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, I quote an excerpt from "The Second Booke Of The Historie Of Natvre" by Pliny the Elder. You can find it [here.](https://archive.org/stream/plinysnaturalhi00unkngoog/plinysnaturalhi00unkngoog_djvu.txt)

According to one of Lance’s most recent messages, the _Opal_ was now in the midst of the Trojan asteroid belt and the whole crew had taken turns going on spacewalks to better observe their surroundings. Lance and Hunk had gotten to go on a spacewalk together and had participated in something like a snowball fight with an unidentified, gooey substance with a few other of the more fun-loving cadets before Commander Goldstein had put a stop to it. The second week of Lance’s mission passed at a snail’s pace for Shiro. But as much as he missed his mate, he was happy Lance was having a good time.

Fortunately, Shiro had an unusual amount of meetings scheduled that week, an average of three per day, and a few of them extended past the time he normally got off work, and that was all on top of his normal research and helping out on the Nav Support team that was monitoring the four current missions that were currently underway, run by the professional crews; as the _Opal_ was a training mission for cadets, it was not among the ones he supervised. He wasn’t a workaholic as a rule and savored his free time, but that week in particular, he was grateful for the full schedule.

One such meeting was that Wednesday, with Iverson. Shiro was not looking forward to it, to say the least. He and Iverson had never particularly saw eye to eye, and their incompatibility had only worsened with Iverson’s criticisms and doubts about Lance. _But Iverson was on the_ Opal _committee,_ Shiro reminded himself as he left his office, on his way to the conference room, _he had a say in selecting the crew. I have to at least give him credit for that._

The meeting was relatively short; both Sam and Matt were there and Shiro was always glad for a chance to work with them. Sitting with his friends at the conference table made listening to Iverson’s presentation all the more bearable. Once the meeting concluded, the various officers in attendance made small talk as they filed out of the room.

“We’re still on for ultimate tomorrow, right?” Matt asked Shiro as they packed up their notes. He pantomimed throwing a holo-disk above Shiro’s head, which was one of his favorite moves; Shiro laughed at his friend.

“Is the maintenance on the holodeck done already?”

“Well, if not, you can always go old-school and play with regular disks, like we did back in my day!” Sam added. “I still have my old ultimate disks, though you’ll have to ask your mother where they are, Matt.”

The three friends were headed to the door of the conference room on their way to lunch, when Iverson loudly cleared his throat. Shiro looked to him, and he waved him over.

“I’ll meet you there,” Shiro told the Holts. Matt gave him a thumbs-up, and they left the room.

Shiro walked down to the far side of the conference room to where Iverson was still standing at the lectern. The man didn’t say a word, as he was closing down his tablet and the projection software. When he finished, he finally acknowledged Shiro.

“So… Commander Goldstein has been sending back regular reports about the _Opal_ cadets. Cicerón seems to be hanging in there.”

 _Was… that a compliment?_ Shiro thought, causing him to hesitate before responding.

“Yeah, he has told me it’s been a great experience. The crew seems to be working well together so far.”

Packing his things into his briefcase, Iverson made a noncommittal sound of agreement. In the silence that followed, Shiro wanted so much to ask, _So, has Lance met your preconceived notions of what an Omega pilot should be? Or would he have to singlehandedly save the planet from an alien invasion to pass muster with you?_ But he knew that sarcastic questions would get him nowhere.

“Lance really appreciates the opportunity to demonstrate his skills and learning.”

“Well, the mission isn’t over yet. He still has three days to go.”

 _He could still screw up,_ went unsaid, but Shiro chose to ignore that.

 

* * *

 

That night, Lance called, out of the blue. Shiro had assumed he would be busy with the _Opal’s_ return trip, so he had not been expecting to hear from Lance beyond a short text message. He had just been cleaning up the kitchen after supper; he dried his hands and reached for his phone to accept the call, putting it on speaker so that he could continue washing dishes.

“Hey, babe! How are you?”

“Alright…” came Lance’s voice, quieter than usual. A long pause, and Shiro thought he heard him swallow. “I’m trying to go to sleep, but I can’t, so I’m sitting outside of the barracks so I don’t wake anyone up.” That explained his lowered voice. “Just homesick, I guess.”

Hearing this, Shiro immediately set down the casserole dish he had been working on, picked up his phone, and walked into the living room. Turning off the speaker, he put the phone to his ear; it just felt more intimate that way.

“I know I’ll be home the day after tomorrow, but it just feels so far away…” Lance continued, his voice wavering. “The trip has been great and everything, but I just miss you so much…”

“I miss you, too, Lance,” Shiro said, his voice matching Lance’s quiet volume. “You’re doing so well, but I know it’s a lot to adjust to…” He couldn’t just leave it at that, though; Lance sounded exhausted and he had called Shiro, seeking comfort. “I have an idea. Go lie in bed, okay? I’ll keep talking to you, but you don’t have to respond, so you won’t wake anyone up.”

“Okay…”

Then Shiro heard some rustling, soft footsteps, and an automatic door sliding open as Lance entered the sleeping barracks that he shared with his fellow crew members. Meanwhile, Shiro walked upstairs to his home library. His eyes roamed the familiar shelves; many of his books had been passed down to him from his grandparents, and he had yet to get through all of them. He wanted to find something to read to Lance: something soothing and undemanding on his fatigued brain, so that Lance could just focus on the sound of his voice, not necessarily the words he read. Nonfiction seemed like a good option. A book on a high shelf caught his eye; it was bound in old leather and had a layer of dust. _“The Second Booke Of The Historie Of Natvre_ , _”_ its spine read. _We’ll give it a shot_ , Shiro thought as he sat down in the armchair.

“Are you lying down now?” Shiro said into his phone.

He received a quiet sound of agreement.

“I’m going to read something by an Ancient Roman author, Pliny the Elder. He wrote a lot about nature, including astronomy. It’s been translated, but into Old English, so the words will be different from what we’re used to. Sound okay?”

Barely audible, Lance hummed.

“Just listen to my voice. I’ll read until you fall asleep.” Not waiting for Lance to respond – as he had to keep quiet – Shiro opened to a page in the middle of the astronomy section of the book. “This chapter is called ‘What Is The Cause That The Planets Alter Their Colours?’”

Shiro softly cleared his throat, and began to read from the top of the page, “‘…Each planet hath a several colour; Saturn is white, Jupiter clear and bright, Mars a fiery red, Venus glowing, when lucifer; when occidental, or vesper, resplendent; Mercury sparkling, the moon pleasant, the sun when he riseth, burning, afterwards radiating. Upon many of the colours here mentioned are only optical deceptions, but that of the planet Mars must proceed from something inherent in the planet itself, or the atmosphere by which it is surrounded; for while these causes the sight is entangled, and discovereth those stars also which are fixed in the sky.”

The Old English felt foreign on his tongue, but there was also a musical sound to it which he couldn’t help but like. He hoped Lance liked it, too.

“‘For one while a number of them appear about the half-moon,’” he continued reading, “‘when in a clear and calm night she gently beautlfieth them; and at another they are seen but here and there, insomuch that we may wonder how they are fled upon the full moon, which hideth them; or when the beams either of the sun or other abovesaid have dazzled our sight. Yea, the moon herself perceiveth the sun's beams, as they come upon her: for those rays that come sidelong, according to the convexity of the sky, give but an obscure light to the moon, in comparison of them that fall directly with straight angles. And, therefore, in the quadrangular aspect of the sun she appeareth divided in half; in the triangular she is well near environed, but her circle is half empty; but in opposition she appeareth full. And again, as she is in the wane, she representeth the same forms, decreasing by quarters as she increased: with like aspects as the other three planets above the sun.’”

The chapter ended there. Shiro rested his voice for a few moments and was about to begin the next chapter, but the other end of the phone call was completely silent, save for Lance’s slow, easy breathing and beyond it, the familiar sounds of a spacecraft in flight. _Hopefully that did it_ , Shiro thought.

“Sweet dreams, Lance,” he whispered, his voice low and gentle. “I love you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @WonderWhispFic! I post chapter updates and retweet Shance stuff I like. If you'd like to draw fanart or anything inspired by "beneath the uncountable stars," I'd absolutely love to see it! Feel free to send me a DM and yell about Shance :)


	29. Chapter 29

Shiro hardly slept that Thursday night. The _Opal_ was scheduled to land at 0945 Friday morning, but Shiro was planning on arriving at the Garrison at 0600, do some work in his office, meet Lance when he arrived, and take the rest of the day off; he knew how exhausted Lance would be and wanted to be home to help him. Fortunately, Fridays were not usually very busy and there weren’t any meetings scheduled, and he had also ensured that all of the Nav Support team roles were taken care of for the rest of the weekend. Once he arrived at his office, he checked the weather at least once an hour, glaring at the storm cloud icon and 55% chance of rain that could potentially delay the spacecraft’s landing.

As 0945 approached, however, it was only sprinkling outside, so the _Opal_ would remain on schedule. To wait out the last hour, Shiro went the crew waiting area. A few people were there already, mostly cadets and Garrison staff. There were some who were not in uniform; Shiro assumed that they were cadets’ family members who were there to welcome them home, though many families of the cadets, like Lance’s, lived across the world and were unable to be there. He soon spotted Katie, Shay, Keith, and a few of Lance’s other friends from his various classes; they were gathered to await both Lance and Hunk’s return. Shay waved Shiro over and he greeted the group.

“Isn’t this exciting?” she asked, peering nervously at the door the cadets would be arriving through. No sign of them yet.

“Yeah, it is!” Shiro agreed, then raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Aren’t you guys usually working Friday mornings? That’s one of Lance’s usual shifts.”

“Sal said we could close the café for half an hour for the _Opal_ landing,” Keith said. “I have my Mission Tactics class right after this, though.”

“Are you looking forward the end of your time as a barista?” Shiro asked Katie with a knowing grin.

She shrugged. “Eh, I actually talked to Sal and I’m going to fill in shifts here and there, like when everyone’s too busy to work because they’re in space or whatever.” 

“Well, I’m glad you started to enjoy it, at least somewhat! Hunk and Lance will be proud!”

“And really smug that they finally got you to make coffee for people!” Shay said with a giggle.

The four friends continued to chat, though were soon cut off by the announcement of the _Opal’s_ incoming landing. Shiro felt his heartbeat almost stutter before picking up speed. Lance and his copilot Jackie had done the takeoff together, so the two other pilots on the crew would be conducting the landing; even so, they would still be responsible for assisting in other areas of the landing operations. According to his last text to Shiro, Lance would be monitoring the progress of the Orbital Maneuvering System retrograde burn, one of the most important tasks in the deorbiting procedure. They had made it thus far; the landing was just the final step of that long, two-week journey.

As that wing of the Garrison was belowground, there were no windows in the waiting area, but they did not need a visual of the spacecraft to know when it was approaching. The roar of the _Opal’s_ engine gradually came into their hearing: distant at first, then within a minute, so loud it nearly shook the room. Shiro, Keith, Katie, and Shay found each other’s hands and held on tight, supporting each other as they waited for their friends to arrive home; the final moments of a landing always felt like the longest. But then the announcement came from the flight controller, “The _Opal_ is successfully landed” and the room erupted into cheers and applause.

It would take at least ten minutes for everyone to change out of their flightsuits and disembark, but as everyone in the waiting area started breathing easy and talking again, Shiro found his gaze constantly returning to the door that led to the launchpad. There was no sign of Lance yet. The Alpha part of Shiro’s brain began to feel unnerved; the need to see his mate, to ensure his safety and wellbeing, rose rapidly, like an itch he couldn’t scratch.

Keith noticed his nervousness after a while and waved a hand in front of Shiro’s face.

“He’s coming. _Chill_ ,” he said, offering Shiro a small smile.

“Right… you’re right.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I missed Lance around the café. It was a lot quieter than usual. So, I can’t imagine how much you must have missed him.”

Shiro smiled at his friend. Keith was never very talkative, but he always seemed to know what Shiro needed to hear.

At long last, the automatic doors whizzed open; the conversations throughout the room immediately paused and all eyes went forward. The _clacks_ of Commander Goldstein’s heels were the only sounds to be heard as she made her way down the long hallway beyond the door. When she emerged, her lips were upturned, just slightly; _a good sign_ , Shiro thought. Everyone once again applauded, and she shook several hands as she entered the waiting area. The crew followed soon behind her and the applause continued, before friends and family ran forward to greet the cadets.

And then Shiro saw Lance, towards the back of the line. He was talking animatedly to Hunk and Jackie. _He made it, he did it, he’s here_ , was all Shiro could think as he pressed through the crowd toward the door. Hunk saw him approaching first and signaled to Lance to turn around. Lance did so, looking a bit confused by what Hunk was pointing out to him, but then his eyes landed on Shiro, and the happy commotion around them of reunions between friends and family just seemed to evaporate. Shiro took another step forward, and the next thing he knew, Lance was in his arms. He no longer carried Shiro’s scent – the almost antiseptic smell of a hospital from the sterile environment of the _Opal_ overwhelmed Shiro’s senses – but that could easily be fixed. Later. Right now, he was in Shiro’s tight embrace, and that was all that mattered.

Shiro picked him up and spun him as Lance began to laugh.

“Whoa, I feel like I’m back in space!”

“But you’re not. You’re home,” Shiro murmured into his forehead.

Lance pulled back out of the hug just enough for them to see each other. While he face was bright with joy, his eyes also shined with tears.

“I’m home,” he repeated, before wrapping his arms around Shiro’s neck to pull him in for a kiss. “With you.” 

 

* * *

 

Once Shiro and Lance were able to separate themselves, they joined their friends in welcoming Hunk home, as well. He looked fatigued but excited, and told Katie, talking a mile a minute, about all the cool tech he got to use in the engine room. Lance regaled a few piloting stories to Keith, and Hunk presented Shay with a rock he had picked up from the Trojan asteroid belt; being an astrogeology major, she was absolutely fascinated by it. Commander Goldstein gave a brief speech on the success of the mission, taking no credit of her own, but rather praising the skills of the crew members.

Afterward, Shay, and Katie had to return to the café and Keith had to get to class; the recently returned cadets were dismissed from classes for the day in order to recuperate from the mission. Shiro had everything he needed to take home from his office and Lance had already retrieved his things from the locker room, so once they bid their friends goodbye, they were ready to head home.

“It feels so weird to be back…” Lance mused, staring out the car window at the landscape.

“Yep; it’ll take some time to readjust.”

Lance made a noise of assent. As they traveled the familiar road to their house, they were both quiet. Glancing over to him, Shiro noticed Lance’s eyes were now poised upward, at the sky.

“It was a good experience overall, right?”

“Oh, yeah, for sure! I’m just still trying to take it all in. I went and came back…” Lance laughed in disbelief. “It’s nice to be home again, but I can’t wait to return. I feel like I’m even more in love with space than I was before…”

Shiro chuckled, knowing that feeling exactly. Coming home from his most recent mission to Kerberos had been exhilarating, but very sad, too. It was like leaving a part of himself, very far away.

“I know you’ve got to be exhausted, so feel free to go to straight to bed and get some rest, okay? I’m looking forward to hearing the rest of your stories from the mission, but that can wait. When was the last time you slept?”

“Uh, I think a few hours before we had to start gearing up for reentry. But I’m feeling fine!”

“That’s probably the adrenaline rush; it’ll wear off soon. Add that to your jetlag…”

“Are you going back to the Garrison after you drop me off?”

“Nope,” Shiro said as they pulled into the driveway, “I finished all my work for the weekend this morning, so I’ll be home to help you recover from the trip.”

They got out of the car and Shiro picked up Lance’s duffle bag. Lance quickly rounded the car and stepped into a side embrace as they walked up to their front door.

“Then I want to be with you! I can sleep tonight!”

Shiro unlocked the front door and opened his mouth to argue, but upon opening the door, they were nearly knocked down by the boisterous flurry of fur that was Natsu. Lance released his arm from around Shiro so he could greet her.

“Natsu!” he cried. “Hi, sweetheart! I missed you, too! Was Shiro good while I was gone?”  

He bent down to be on eye-level with her and gave her head and neck a good rubdown. She continued to pant happily and when Lance tried to stand up to move out of the doorway, she began licking his face in earnest, so he had no choice but to remain there, squatting in front of her. He eventually resorted to just lying down on the rug of the entryway floor as Natsu continued her onslaught of doggy kisses. Laughing, Shiro stepped over the two of them to get into the house.

“Yes, that’s right, Natsu, make Lance lie down and get some rest!”

He walked a ways down the hall to the closet to hang up his winter coat, then headed into the kitchen to turn on the electric kettle to make some tea. It was just chilly enough that day to warrant hot drinks.

“What kind of tea do you want?” he called to Lance as he got out two mugs for them. “I used up the last of the lemon ginger the other day, so…”

Shiro glanced down the hall and listened for Lance’s answer, but heard nothing. Returning to the entryway, he smiled at the sight of Lance lying absolutely still, an arm draped across his face, with Natsu splayed across his stomach. Lying down, even on the hardwood floor, and being quiet for all of two minutes had been enough to knock Lance out.

 _Told ya so,_ he thought affectionately.

Once he was able to coax Natsu off of Lance, Shiro picked him up as gently as he could, leaving his duffle bag in the entryway to be retrieved later, and carried him upstairs to their bedroom with Natsu following closely. Shiro laid him down on top of the comforter to avoid waking him up and carefully slipped off his shoes. He grabbed the afghan blanket from the foot of the bed to cover Lance’s body; after making sure Lance was tucked in, he caressed Lance’s cheek with the lightest touch he could muster.

Natsu was still excited from Lance’s return home, so Shiro decided it would be best to take her out of the bedroom so she wouldn’t disturb Lance.

“He needs his rest, Natsu,” he whispered to her once he had closed their bedroom door behind them. “We’ll get to spend time with him later, I promise.”

 

* * *

 

It turned out that “later” would be an understatement; Lance ended up sleeping the whole afternoon and evening. Every time he heard the house creaked, Shiro thought it might be Lance coming downstairs, but he remained sleeping. _Well, he’ll have all weekend to get back onto the Central Standard Time_ , he thought while he cooked dinner, making two servings, just in case Lance woke up in time. _He’s traveled back and forth between the States and Cuba in the past, so he is used to adjusting._ Shiro ended up eating supper with only Natsu sitting below the table. She still looked confused at Lance’s absence from the kitchen, as she could sense that he was home.

When 2200 came around, Shiro finished up the book he was reading in the living room and thought it was time to call it a night. He opened their bedroom door as quietly as he could and quickly changed into his pajamas in their bathroom before tiptoeing toward the bed. The lights were off, and he could hear Lance’s soft breathing coming from the bed; he was relieved that Lance had been able to go to sleep, and stay asleep, after all the excitement of the day. Shiro went around to his side of the bed and stealthily slipped under the covers, trying to not rouse his mate. He was just getting situated on the mattress when he felt Lance turn over and wrap an arm around him.

“Missed you,” Lance murmured into his neck.

“I missed you, too, love.”

Turning toward the center of the bed, Shiro let Lance snuggle closer to him. He pressed a kiss to Lance’s forehead, and when Lance remained motionless, Shiro assumed he had gone back to sleep.

Apparently not satisfied with just the kiss on the head, Lance sat up a bit and draped himself across Shiro’s chest; he felt like deadweight, but he was pleasantly warm from being under the blanket for so long. He gave Shiro a full-on kiss, sloppy and clumsy in his state of partial wakefulness.

“Mmf, want you, Shiro,” Lance said hoarsely. “Missed you so much. Please…?” He swung a leg over Shiro’s thigh; Shiro could feel a slight erection against his stomach.

“Alright…” he said through a yawn.

Lance’s limp body slowly energized as he opened his legs more, straddling Shiro’s torso with half of his body still planted on the bed. Shiro raised a knee between Lance’s legs and pulled him closer into his arms; neither of them had the energy for a full scenting session, but fortunately, just being in their bed had returned Lance’s scent mostly back to normal. Not even bothering with their clothes, they started out lazily, simply shifting their hips together, but Shiro could tell Lance was growing impatient, so he started to knead Lance’s ass, which always got a positive response. In the darkness, Lance’s fumbling lips sought Shiro’s and he breathed heavily through their kisses. As neither of them had been too aroused to begin with, their orgasms were not particularly explosive, but they were just enough to take the edge off from being apart for so long. Lance merely groaned against Shiro’s mouth; normally, he was much more vocal.

“More in the morning?” Shiro whispered into Lance’s lips.

He could feel Lance smile in response, but it was only a matter of seconds before Lance was fast asleep again. Shiro realized he was lying with an arm at an awkward angle, but there was no way he was going to disturb his sleeping beauty to readjust himself. They held each other close, both feeling completely safe and at ease: together again, at last.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed, and thank for your patience between chapters! Things have been super busy with the start of a new semester at university, and in addition to that, my roommate and I just moved and she adopted a cat. But things are good overall! :D
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @WonderWhispFic! I post chapter updates and retweet Shance stuff I like. If you'd like to draw fanart or anything inspired by "beneath the uncountable stars," I'd absolutely love to see it! Feel free to send me a DM and yell about Shance :)


	30. Chapter 30

They woke up almost simultaneously the next morning; Shiro felt Lance begin to stir just as he was becoming conscious. From the afternoon of the previous day to that morning, Lance had slept for at least 18 hours, so Shiro was surprised that Lance hadn’t gotten up in the middle of the night. _He must be trying to get back onto a normal sleeping schedule,_ he thought. _Or at least, relatively normal._ But as he became more awake, he realized Lance must have woken up, at least briefly, during the night, as he was now naked beneath their comforter.

Spooning him, Shiro leaned in for a kiss and Lance turned his head to meet him; Lance’s breath was not exactly minty fresh as he hadn’t brushed his teeth before passing out yesterday, but Shiro wasn’t going to complain, as he knew he must have morning breath, too.

“Mmm,” Lance murmured, his voice rough from having slept so long. Shiro opened his mouth to lick across the nape of Lance’s neck in greeting. “Morning,” he added, and Shiro could hear the smile in his voice.

“Good morning,” Shiro whispered, sliding his hand up the center of Lance’s chest and drawing him closer to himself. “Rest well?”

Stretching all of his limbs, Lance nodded, eyes squinted with contentment. “Can we pick up where we left off last night?” he asked through a yawn, wiggling his hips backward.

“Of course.”

Reaching back, Lance helped Shiro tug down his pajama pants, and as he did so, Lance brushed a hand against Shiro’s thigh. At the sudden contact, Shiro moaned and shifted his hips more, allowing his slowly-hardening cock to slide into the furrow between Lance’s legs. This earned a groan from Lance as he pushed back, his legs falling open to accommodate him. Shiro rolled his hips a little, reveling in the sliding motion; Lance responded likewise, pressing his ass against Shiro’s cock and, after the two weeks they had spent apart, the sheer heat of it was nearly enough to make Shiro come right then, but he didn’t want to finish so soon. The quietness of the early morning was making everything warm and comfortable and Lance’s skin was unbelievably soft as Shiro brushed his lips along his spine.

“Shiro…” Lance purred.

His hips began to twitch, moving in slow circles, steadily grinding backwards as if in unconscious temptation, although Shiro didn’t need any encouragement. Shiro slid his hand down Lance’s abdomen, through the trail of dark curls beneath his navel, and wrapped his fingers around the stiff shaft of Lance’s cock. Pushing his hips forward, Lance rocked into Shiro’s hand in slow, languid strokes.

“Yes, Shiro,” he murmured as Shiro’s hand tightened around his cock. “It’s been too long, _please_ …”

Leaning forward into the heat, the tip of Shiro’s cock caught along the already-slick rim of Lance’s anus and pushed himself carefully forward. Lance’s body yielded immediately, his muscles opening for Shiro.

“God…” he breathed, barely daring to move, but Lance twisted backwards, greedy and wanting.

He was so hot and tight, and Shiro couldn’t help the way his lurched forward, burying himself to the hilt in Lance’s slick passage. Lance groaned and rocked his hips, pushing his cock through the tight sheath of Shiro’s fist before impaling himself backwards, and Shiro could barely breathe.

“I love you,” Shiro sighed into Lance’s ear, nibbling on the lobe.

At this, Lance moaned again, his movements becoming erratic. Suddenly, though, Shiro felt oddly discontent. Everything was moving so quickly. The slow gentleness of their first full-fledged session of lovemaking since Lance’s return had dissipated so rapidly into frantic rutting; that had been enough last night when they were so desperate for each other after their two weeks apart, but this morning, Shiro wanted to take his time. He pulled his hands away and gently stilled Lance’s hips, ignoring his whine of displeasure at the movement.

“Shh,” Shiro whispered, still buried deep within that tight heat. “I have another idea.”

Carefully, he pulled back until only the very tip of his cock was resting just inside Lance’s body. Lance gasped, but didn’t move, allowing Shiro to slow the pace. Swaying forward, feeling the give as Lance’s muscles relaxed… every single nerve tingled as Shiro sunk deeper and deeper into his mate.

“God, I love you,” Shiro said again – it was all he could think.

Feeling Lance’s frustration grow, Shiro finally relented: he pushed back in with a shuddering sigh and Lance simply melted into him. Shiro thrusted slowly a few more times before stilling again, smirking at Lance’s predictable impatience, but he pulled out slowly, rolling Lance onto his back before settling between his thighs.

Supporting himself on his forearms, Shiro leaned in and pressed his mouth to Lance’s, sighing in contentment when Lance’s lips fell immediately open, his tongue sweeping through Shiro’s mouth with so much desire that Shiro felt his toes curl into the bed sheets. Shiro swallowed against the sour taste of sleep, deepening the kiss as he rolled his hips again in a lazy circle, his breath catching as Lance arched against him instinctively.

“Shiro,” Lance groaned, his hips stuttering for a moment.

He looked incredible like this: sleep-mussed and soft, completely open. Smiling slowly, Lance raised his arms up over his head, pushing against the headboard, then shifted backwards into a deep stretch that seemed to elongate him even farther across the mattress. He collapsed back against the bed with a satisfied hum and gazed up at Shiro through his lashes. Shiro became abruptly aware that he’d been staring dumbfounded for at least a full minute and felt his cheeks heat. Lance just grinned up at him and licked his lower lip.

“Now,” he purred, sliding his foot up the back of Shiro’s calf, “where were we?”

 _Fuck_ , Shiro thought, and might have actually said it aloud; he wasn’t sure. He slid his mouth up Lance’s throat, biting gently at his jaw. Lance’s hands skimmed up Shiro’s spine, running over the vertebrae until he sunk his fingers into Shiro’s hair and pulled his mouth down into a kiss. Moaning against his tongue, Shiro’s body rocked forward of its own volition, until Lance shifted a little and suddenly his cock was pressing hotly against Lance’s, the friction amazing, but not nearly enough.

Lance’s fingers tightened before he released Shiro’s hair, then swept down Shiro’s back to grip at his ass, pulling him in with force, but still maintaining the deliberately slow pace. Shiro trailed his tongue down his neck until he reached the indent of collarbone. He brushed his lips there once, then sunk his teeth into the hard resistance, feeling the thick swell of pride as Lance cried out and thrusted up.

“Sh-Shiro!”

He looked positively wrecked, and Shiro felt his heart clench tightly in his chest, momentarily unable to believe he was actually allowed to do this: to touch Lance in this way, to draw these sounds from his lips, to show him in a physical, intimate way how much he loved him.

“Fuck me,” Lance intoned, more intent now. “I need you inside me. _Now_.”

Tipping his hips back slightly, Shiro paused there for a moment, basking in the anticipation, before Lance canted his pelvis up impatiently and Shiro felt his cock catch on the loosened rim of Lance’s hole. Lance sighed in relief as Shiro eased his way in again.

“ _Yes_ ,” Lance hissed, his lips stretching into a satisfied smile.

Shiro could feel the pressure mounting, his own orgasm a slow burn at the base of his abdomen. He drew back slowly, and when Lance clenched down, pleasure careened through Shiro: sudden and unexpectedly intense.

“Nearly forgot how amazing you feel, babe,” Shiro gasped, his hips instinctively snapping forward. “Ah… amazing, perfect…”

They were moving together now, slow and steady. Shiro leaned in to press a gentle kiss to the corner of Lance’s mouth. Lance smiled against him and turned his head to smear their lips together, dragging one long hand down Shiro’s shoulder to his wrist to catch his palm before twining their fingers together against the sheets. Lance’s hips tilted at just the right angle and Shiro could actually feel when the head of his cock dragged across Lance’s prostate. Lance’s hands clenched tightly in Shiro’s, a long groan rumbling up through his chest. Widening his knees, Shiro tilted his thighs forward, trying to maintain the angle as Lance thrashed beneath him, as wanton as if he was in heat again.

In one fell swoop, Lance’s body undulated forward and his muscles contracted, and Shiro gasped as Lance’s ass clamped down around his cock, his own pleasure momentarily forgotten in the face of Lance’s magnificent response. Shiro sucked in a deep breath, willing himself back from the edge of bliss, just for now.

“Shiro, please,” Lance breathed, his elegant neck stretching backwards as Shiro thrusted in a little faster.

He groaned again and his legs began to shake, overworked muscles protesting at the prolonged tension. Shiro let go of Lance’s hip to slide his hand down his thigh, nudging and tugging until he got a sinewy knee up over his shoulder, allowing him to lean in and push deeper.

“God, yes. That’s—Shiro, so good…” Lance said, voice halting and stuttering as pleasure overtook him.

Shiro leaned down farther and planted his mouth on Lance’s neck, tongue resting over the fluttering pulse just beneath his bond-mark. The change in angle was perfect, and Shiro could feel the slick head of Lance’s cock smear across his abdomen, trapped between them as Shiro rocked himself harder into Lance’s willing body.

“Oh,” Lance said simply, and suddenly he was there, arching back against the mattress, all of his muscles clamping tightly down around Shiro’s cock as he came. Shiro eased him through it, feeling each pulse of ejaculate as it spread between them, their bellies suddenly slick and hot. Before his eyes shut of their own accord and his brain melted over with pleasure, Shiro saw Lance give one more shudder beneath him.

Once he had recovered, Shiro watched his mate slowly calm down, his climax bubbling down into pure love and affection. Lance blinked hazily up at him a moment later, then reached up and traced Shiro’s eyebrow with his thumb, running the pad of it down the line of his cheekbone and to his mouth, pressing delicately against his lips before falling back into the pillows with a contented sigh.

Even as they were still panting for breath, their lips met almost unconsciously. The kiss slowed naturally, finally ending with just a tender slide of lips as they both relaxed against the sheets. Eventually, Lance became half-hard again, but he didn’t seem to mind, simply slotting against Shiro’s body as needed, curling long limbs around Shiro’s ribs. Shiro smiled into the top of Lance’s hair, breathing in their combined scent and basking in the blissful feeling of just being together again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Your kudos and feedback are always so appreciated!
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @WonderWhispFic! I post chapter updates and retweet Shance stuff I like. If you'd like to draw fanart or anything inspired by "beneath the uncountable stars," I'd absolutely love to see it! Feel free to send me a DM and yell about Shance :)


	31. Chapter 31

When they finally got out of bed a half hour later, Shiro and Lance got ready to take Natsu for a walk only to find that a light blanket of snow had fallen overnight. Their area only got snow about every other year, if that, so it was always a treat. They quickly returned to their bedroom to get clothes that were more suitable for snow.

As they walked down the driveway, their hands naturally found each other. While it was only a dusting, the snow transformed the look of the neighborhood and the chill air had a refreshing bite to it. Natsu was usually pretty mellow on her morning walks, but the snow seemed to energize her, as she confidently marched along and inspected the piles of snow along the curbs.

“Wait, this isn’t your first time seeing snow, is it?” Shiro asked, momentarily concerned that they weren’t making a bigger deal out of the occasion.

“Oh, no, it’s not. Cuba never gets snow, but it snowed both winters I spent at Horotari since it’s up in the mountains. The first time I saw it, no one else got very excited, so I just went outside by myself and ran around and made snow angels.”

“That sucks! Snow is the best when you’re with people you care about.”

“Well, I am now,” Lance grinned up at Shiro and held his hand tighter. “Or, at least, a person and a dog I care about!” “With you.” 

 

* * *

 

 After dropping Natsu off at home, they went to their favorite diner for breakfast, as Lance was famished after having slept most of the day before. They then went to the grocery store; as Shiro had been living by himself the past two weeks, he had not needed as much food in the house. They always enjoyed their shopping trips; not only did it allow them to have quality time, but it also led to one of their other favorite domestic activities: cooking meals together.

“Takashi? Takashi Shirogane, is that you?”

At the sound of his given first name, Shiro whipped his head around to see a woman standing at the far end of the aisle they were on. She was perhaps a few years older than him, wearing a fashionable winter coat and her short blonde curls closely framed her face. It was Danika Southerland. She was the daughter of a coworker of his mother’s; both being Elite, the Shirogane and Southerland families had been friends for a decade or so. Shiro was sure the only reason that their parents had never tried to match Danika and him up to unite their families was that they were both Alphas.

With her, was a young woman whom Shiro didn’t recognize. Her arm was hooked through Danika’s elbow and she stood several inches shorter, wearing a vest over a long-sleeved sweater dress with her jet-black hair resting on her shoulder in a long braid.

“D-Danika, hi,” he said, a bit startled.

She quickly steered her shopping cart down the aisle toward Shiro and Lance; the other woman followed along after her.

“How _are_ you, Takashi? It’s been forever, hasn’t it?” Danika said excitedly.

“Er, good, thank you. I hope you’re well.”

“I’m great! Stephanie and I recently moved to the area; I’ve always wanted to live somewhere warm, and it doesn’t get much warmer than the desert, huh? But what’s with this snow? Hopefully it won’t stick around too long; I was looking forward to sunbathing! But anyway, being a real estate agent, I can, of course, find work just about anywhere, so I’m looking forward to exploring the area!” Danika suddenly had a look of realization when she noticed Lance at Shiro’s side. “And who’s _this_?”

“Lance Cicerón’s the name,” Lance said, extending a hand for a handshake. Danika appeared to be a bit surprised by the gesture, but shook his hand.

“Oh, of course! I saw your mother at a cocktail party a few months ago, Takashi, and she told me all about your visit to Horotari! You certainly chose well – he’s adorable!” She suddenly seemed to remember the woman next to her. “Oh, excuse my manners! You and Stephanie haven’t met, have you, Takashi? She’s from Horotari, too! I got her a few years ago. Do you two know each other?”

Danika looked expectantly between her and Lance. Stephanie merely shook her head.

“We must have been in different training stages,” Lance said, filling the silence. “I left the Sanctuary eight months ago.”

“Aw, and no litter on the way yet?” Danika gave Lance’s figure a once-over.

Lance balked at the question. Shiro could tell he was torn between telling Danika it was none of her business and telling her the truth – that they had decided to wait a bit on starting their family so they could establish themselves as romantic mates after having lived together as friends. Shiro would have been fine with either response, but Danika took Lance’s hesitation as embarrassment.

“Fertility issues, I take it?” she said in a lowered voice, though there were no other people in the aisle at the time. “No worries, darling, you’ll have your time eventually! Why, it was a full year before Stephanie conceived, and she wasn’t even in heat when it happened! Omega biology can be odd like that. Here’re our little angels; they’re at home with the nanny right now.”

Danika quickly pulled out her phone and showed Shiro and Lance at least two dozen pictures of two babies, looking less than a year old, dressed in a wide variety of outfits; she provided detailed commentary for each picture. Still at her side, Stephanie watched on, a subtle look of pride now on her face at her enthusing Alpha, though after a minute or two, she softly cleared her throat.

“Oh, look at me rambling!” Danika said, putting her phone away. “Well, it has been so nice to have run into you two! You’re coming to the reunion in March, right?”

At the very mention of the word “reunion,” Shiro felt every muscle in his body tense.

“Er, no, Lance and I will be busy that weekend, unfortunately.”

Shiro felt Lance’s questioning eyes on him, but he kept his gaze steadfastly on Danika.

“What a shame!” Danika said, sounding genuinely disappointed. “There’s always next year, though! You simply must mark it on your calendar!”

“Yep,” Shiro said with a nervous laugh. “Well, Lance and I had better be on our way. It was nice to see you, Danika, and it was good meeting you, Stephanie.”

“The pleasure was all mine, Sir Shirogane,” she replied, her voice barely audible. She kept her gaze lowered, as Elite Omegas were trained to do; the distinct lack of eye contact disconcerted Shiro just as much as it did during his visit to Horotari.

Waving goodbye to the two women, Shiro pushed their shopping cart forward, scanned the row of products at eye-level, and picked up the first thing he saw.

“Oh, uh, here are the Poptarts, babe,” he said, grabbing a box to inspect it closer. “Two for one, that’s a good deal.”

Lance gave him a long look. “…We don’t eat Poptarts.”

“Er, right.” Shiro put the box back on the shelf before glancing down the aisle. Danika and Stephanie were now out of earshot. “What were we on this aisle for again?” He opened their grocery list app and saw that none of the remaining three items were actually on the breakfast food aisle. “Alright, I think we’re done here. Let’s check the meat department; I think there’s a sale on rib-eye steaks this week-”

Lance stepped in front of the cart. “You’re acting weird. Why?”

“I am not.” _Well, the Poptarts thing was definitely weird for me; he knows I think they’re gross,_ Shiro thought, conceding the point. “It’s just… awkward seeing someone I grew up with, you know?”  

“Well, yeah, that can be awkward for anyone. But you got… _extra_ awkward, right there at the end, before they left.” Lance took a deep inhale. “And your scent changed; you’re super anxious. What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, I’m fine,” Shiro insisted. “C-can we just finish grocery shopping?”

Lance moved out of the way of the shopping cart so Shiro could continue walking. However, the look on his face said that the conversation wasn’t over yet. Shiro steered the shopping cart to the next aisle, trying to ignore the tightness growing in his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as always for reading!
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @WonderWhispFic! I post chapter updates and retweet Shance stuff I like. If you'd like to draw fanart or anything inspired by "beneath the uncountable stars," I'd absolutely love to see it! Feel free to send me a DM and yell about Shance :)


	32. Chapter 32

The rest of their grocery shopping trip and the drive home was spent mostly in silence. As they brought in the groceries, Shiro couldn’t even bring himself to look Lance in the eyes. From all of his indirect glances, though, Lance looked pensive, his eyebrows knit together; Shiro could tell something was definitely wrong.

It was the first time Shiro had ever lied to Lance. He had thrown out the Horotari Sanctuary reunion invite without telling Lance about it; that had been withholding information, not quite a lie, but not something he was proud of, either. But today, he had outright lied: first, telling Danika they would be busy the weekend of the reunion, then telling Lance nothing was bothering him.

Once the groceries were put away, Shiro quickly fed Natsu before heading upstairs to his home office, announcing halfheartedly that he was going to work on organizing some old files. They both had the afternoon at home until Lance had target practice at 1800 at the Garrison with some friends; normally, they would spend lazy weekend days together, but just the thought of sitting with Lance and playing a video game or going outside to build a snowman had Shiro feeling more nervous than he already was. As tedious as they were to go through, the unsorted piles of paperwork in his office suddenly seemed quite appealing, and they took his mind off the situation with Lance for about half an hour.

“So, the Sanctuary is holding a reunion?”

Startling at the sound of Lance’s voice, Shiro looked up from his filing cabinet; Lance was leaning against the doorframe. He held up his phone, which displayed the homepage of the Sanctuary’s website.

“They held some big event in the banquet hall every spring I was there, but they never told us students what was going on. Now I know.” Putting his phone back into his pocket, he stepped further into the office, his arms crossed. “Danika and Stephanie obviously knew about it… and so did you; you told them we had plans that weekend, but we don’t, so…”

“An invitation came in the mail while you were on the _Opal_ mission.” Shiro could almost feel his blood boil again at the sight of that envelope. “I… I hated the idea of going back there, of _you_ going back there, for a ‘reunion,’ but I’d bet anything it’s mostly to raise funds and promote their success stories to prospective customers, that’s how Elites operate-”

“Where’s the invitation now?”

Lance’s quiet voice made Shiro realize how his volume had steadily raised once he had gotten onto the topic of the Elites. He checked himself.

“I… I put it in the recycling bin, which I emptied a few days ago.”

Lance nodded, his eyes lowering. “Were you planning on telling me, or…? Nah? _Alright_.” He turned on his heel to leave the office.

“Lance, wait!” Shiro bolted from his office chair toward the door.

Standing halfway in the hall, Lance stopped but didn’t turn around.

“I… I didn’t tell you about it, but I didn’t think you would want to go. You never talk about fond memories from Horotari and you didn’t make many close friends there, so I just assumed…” Shiro trailed off and ran his fingers through the forelock of his hair. “… _Do_ you want to go?”

“I don’t know; I haven’t had a chance to think about it.” Lance looked over his shoulder, but his back remained turned towards Shiro. “Maybe, I mean…”

“Lance, if I had thought you might consider it, I-”

“You wouldn’t have thrown the invitation away without mentioning it to me?” Lance finished.

“Yeah, I mean, it didn’t even occur to me that you might want to go back there. I… I wanted to protect you from the place where you had experienced so much hardship.”

“I didn’t exactly enjoy it there, but it wasn’t like they mistreated us.”

Shiro squeezed his eyes shut. He knew that. As much as he disagreed with the institution, the Sanctuary did care for its pupils. 

“Still… when I read the invitation… all I could think about was their traditional Elite practices and how unfair it is; you were so limited in your options after you presented as an Omega and the Garrison forced to you leave your program and…”

Lance slowly approached Shiro as he had been speaking. “Shiro… ever since you took me home from the Sanctuary, you’ve been great at keeping our relationship equal; sometimes I forget that I’m technically a trained Elite Omega because you treat me like a normal person. And I really appreciate that; so many Elite Omegas end up powerless in their relationships. But I want to be involved in making decisions like this, especially when it concerns one of my own alma maters. Just… I know it’s a small thing, but…” He gesticulated as to continue making his point, before he simply shrugged.

“No, I get it, Lance,” Shiro said, holding his hands out placatingly. He also took a step forward, though he didn’t completely close the distance quite yet. “I… I was so angry when the invitation came, like I had been wronged somehow by just getting a piece of mail, and I let that anger blind me. I thought I was protecting you; I thought I knew what you wanted.” He finally felt able to look Lance directly in the eyes. “I’m so sorry, Lance.”

Shiro began to pace the upstairs hallway. “I should have told you about the invitation when it came, rather than avoiding it until Danika, and then you, brought it up. I should have involved you in that process every step of the way instead of assuming I knew what was best. I never want to make you feel like you don’t have a say ever again. I… all I can do is ask for your forgiveness.”  

Lance had looked thoughtful throughout Shiro’s apology, and now his face looked even more solemn.

“What you did, hurt me. But I know you weren’t acting out of bad intentions; you let your anger toward Horotari and the Elite get the better of you. Thank you for being honest with me just now, and thank you for your apology. I forgive you.”

After a moment, Lance uncrossed his arms and held them out. It only took Shiro two steps to reach him, and he gratefully stepped into the embrace. 

“I’ll go back to the grocery store right now and buy a bulk-size box of Poptarts and eat the whole thing in one sitting, just for you,” Shiro said, his jaw resting on top of Lance’s head. He felt Lance silently chuckle against his chest.

“Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.”

“I do! That’s how sorry I am.”

Lance leaned his head back to give Shiro a kiss. “You don’t have to do that, babe.”

“Oh, thank god.”

This got an actual out-loud laugh from Lance.

The guestroom, Lance’s old bedroom, was the closest room to them, so they entered it so they could sit and relax. Shiro sat on the bed with one knee on the mattress, and Lance sat between his legs so that they could still be in contact.

“Now…” Shiro took a deep breath. “Let’s have the conversation we should have had earlier. Do you think you’d want to go the Sanctuary reunion? I know you still haven’t had much time to think about it, but let’s at least talk it through.”

Lance nodded, taking Shiro’s right hand in his left to play absentmindedly with his fingers. “I understand why you had assumed I wouldn’t want to go. When I checked the website earlier and saw the info about the event, my first reaction was just, like…” Lance screwed up his face into a sour expression, before shaking his head. “But now that we’ve cleared things up and I can actually process it with you, I feel like I _might_ want to go, as weird as that is.”

“It’s not that weird. You did spend a significant amount of time there, preparing for what you thought was your future as an Elite Omega.”

“And I’ve changed so much since I left. I spent my whole time there thinking all I had to look forward to was being some rich person’s plaything and housekeeper. But now we have an amazing life together, and I’m finally becoming a pilot like I always dreamed… so returning to the Sanctuary with you, after everything that has happened this year, might give me some closure, since I’ve come full circle.”

Shiro merely smiled, encouraging Lance to continue his thought process.

“But…” Lance rested his chin on his fist, “like you said before, I really didn’t have many happy experiences there. I did have a few friends, but they were more like acquaintances, and I was the first one from among them to leave, so if they are still there as students, then I won’t even see them, since the current students never attended the reunions.”

“So, you didn’t really know anyone who left before you did?”

Lance shrugged. “Eh, not really. Most of the people who left before me were younger because they had presented as Omegas earlier and came to the Sanctuary as soon as they turned 16.”

Shiro felt his eyes bulge in disbelief. “There are _16-year-olds_ there?!”

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t mention: 16 is the minimum age for students, but Omegas only enter the purchasing catalogue, and the lineups that you saw, at age 18. A lot of them arrive at age 16, train for two years, and then are bought around age 18 or 19. I was 19, of course, when I presented late as an Omega, so I started my training a lot later than most of them. And I stayed until I was 21, which is almost never happened, so there weren’t many students who were my age.”

“So if you do decide to attend, do you think it would be more about the experience of returning to Horotari in general and less about the social aspect?”

“Yeah, probably so. Some of the teachers were relatively nice, so I guess they would be the main people who I’d ‘reunite’ with,” Lance made exaggerated quotation marks with his fingers, “or whatever people do at school reunions. And I know the main point of _normal_ school reunions is to see old friends that you’ve lost contact with and reminisce about old times. So… is it even worth going, if I might not see any old friends?”

Shiro could tell the question was partially rhetorical, so he pressed his lips together, mirroring Lance’s look of confusion.

“I… I don’t know, babe. That’s your call. I’ll support your decision, either way.”

“Well, thank you… And you don’t have to go, if you don’t want to. You would have to give me written permission for me to travel alone, of course, or else everyone at the Sanctuary would get suspicious.”

Shiro was genuinely surprised by that.

“Lance, I’ll come with you!” 

“I know how much you hate Elite events and stuff, so I would understand if…”

Lance had still been holding Shiro’s hand on their shared laps; Shiro slightly adjusted so that both of his hands held Lance’s.

“Yeah, I avoid Elite stuff like the plague, but if you decide that it’s important for you to go, then I can put that aside. You’re not going to face it alone.”

His eyes squinting, Lance beamed.

“Okay,” he said. His smile remained, but he began to chew his lip.

“You don’t have to make the decision today,” Shiro assured him. “And it’s the weekend; the Sanctuary’s business office might not be open, so we’d have to wait until Monday to RSVP, anyway.”

Lance’s eyes lowered and his eyebrows creased in thought. The serious conversation seemed to have drained him; Shiro couldn’t help but notice the dark circles under his eyes.

“This must be a lot to take in, all at once,” Shiro continued, “and you’re probably still tired from the _Opal_ mission.” He stood up from the guestroom bed. “I would like to pick you up and escort you to our bedroom for you to rest. Before I do so, however, is that what you would like to do?”

This seemed to cheer Lance up; his smile was brighter now, as he recognized what Shiro was doing.

“I would very much like that,” he replied, matching Shiro’s formal tone. “Thank you for checking in with me first, though.”

“You are most welcome.”

And with that, Shiro scooped Lance up and, carrying him bridal style, he walked them down the hallway toward their bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I'd love to hear from you!
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @WonderWhispFic! I post chapter updates and retweet Shance stuff I like. If you'd like to draw fanart or anything inspired by "beneath the uncountable stars," I'd absolutely love to see it! Feel free to send me a DM and yell about Shance :)


	33. Chapter 33

Lance napped throughout the rest of the weekend as he continued to recover from the _Opal_ mission. Even though they had made up from their argument on Saturday, Shiro still felt bad for putting Lance through that his first day back on Earth from his first space mission.

“We’ll just have to plan our future arguments so that they don’t happen around big missions,” Lance teased when the topic came up again.

Shiro chuckled as he chopped up some zucchini for the recipe they were making for supper: a chicken and orzo skillet dish. The orzo was nearly done cooking, so Shiro brought over the cutting board with the vegetables he had prepared to the stovetop for Lance to add to the skillet.

“But really,” Lance continued, “it’s water under the bridge, okay, babe? We’re on the same page now.”

“Right,” Shiro said with a nod.

The vegetables were soon done cooking and were well incorporated into the chicken and orzo in the skillet. Shiro transferred the colorful mixture to a serving dish and Lance set the kitchen table. Seeing the familiar actions, Natsu got excited as she knew it was suppertime for her, too; Lance filled her food bowl from the bag of dog food from the laundry room.

“It was nice being able to cook together again,” Shiro said, kissing Lance’s cheek as he sat down next to him.

“Yep! I do _not_ miss space food on the _Opal_!”

“Don’t you mean ‘space goo’?”

“Haha, yep! Hunk was not impressed by that stuff!”

Shiro served healthy portions of the chicken and orzo dish onto their plates; the smell of it had only gotten better as they had progressed through the recipe, and by that point, his stomach was growling in anticipation.

“My nap this afternoon is going to be the last one I take for a long time!” Lance said as they dug in. “I don’t want to get into the habit of napping once I get back into my normal Garrison schedule!”

“I don’t know, you could probably take a nap in the middle of your Planetary Atmospheres class Monday!”

“Yeah, I doubt Professor Hedrick would mind!”

At the mention of that class in particular, Lance was reminded of a funny story Professor Hendrick had told a few weeks ago in class about a mission simulation from his days as a cadet that had gone horribly wrong. Shiro remembered Hendrick’s story – it was his favorite to tell his students – but he didn’t tell Lance he already knew it; hearing Lance’s rendition of it was too amusing.

Once the story had concluded, they finished eating supper, still chuckling here and there at Lance’s performance of the story. Lance crossed his silverware on his plate and tilted his chair back slightly as he stretched.

“So… something I was wondering about the Sanctuary reunion: what do you think the dress-code will be?”

“The invitation had mentioned that the event will be black-tie. In my experience with Elite fancy parties, that means formalwear for the Alphas and Betas – dresses, tuxes, et cetera – and pretty much the next thing to lingerie for Omegas, because they’re expected to be shown off and to, like, give their Alphas lap dances and stuff. Do you think that that’s what Horotari meant by ‘black-tie’?”

Lance’s mouth slanted. “Hmm, I’ve never been to an actual Elite fancy party, since my family never did stuff like that. The Sanctuary taught us about party etiquette and everything but didn’t really cover what to wear. I guess they figured our future Alphas would decide that for us.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right…” Shiro concluded. Traditional Elite Alphas decided everything for their Omegas.

“Well… actually… Oh, wait.” Lance suddenly looked like he had had a revelation.

“Hmm?” Shiro prompted. “I know that look.”

“ _Well_ …” Lance bit his bottom lip as if holding back laughter. “The Sanctuary gives all of its pupils a few things to take with them once they’re ‘purchased’ by an Alpha. One of things they give us is lingerie for special occasions.”

Shiro’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. This was the first he had heard of this.

“I always assumed that meant ‘special occasions’ in the bedroom,” Lance continued, “but they also could have meant for Elite events. I… was going to save it for my next heat and surprise you, but,” he squirmed with nervous excitement in his chair, “now I kind of want to show it to you.”

It was a good thing that Shiro was done eating, or otherwise he may have choked on something. Seeing Shiro’s flabbergasted reaction, Lance merely smirked and stood up from the kitchen table to head upstairs to their bedroom. As he waited for Lance to return, Shiro thought, _where has he been hiding the lingerie all this time? I helped him move his stuff into my room when we got together and I never saw it._

Wherever Lance had hidden the lingerie, it must have been easily accessible, as Shiro heard Lance’s footsteps coming back down the stairs only two minutes later. However, he paused at the bottom of the staircase before turning the corner that would lead to the kitchen.

“Go sit in the living room!” Shiro heard him call.

“Armchair or couch?” Shiro asked as he got up from the kitchen table.

“Armchair!”

Natsu had gone out to the backyard through the doggie door to play since the weather was somewhat warmer; otherwise, she likely would have followed Shiro into the living room, looking for snuggles. 

Once Shiro was seated, he called, “Ready when you are!”

Lance rounded the corner and Shiro nearly stopped breathing. Gone were his t-shirt and sweatpants; he was now wearing a transparent robe made out of light blue satin fringed with an intricate lace pattern. The long sleeves were cut-off at the shoulder and hung loosely on his arms, like a kimono; the satin was just thin enough to reveal his bare chest. Beneath it, Lance wore a G-string made of the same blue lace as the robe; Shiro could just see the outline of his growing erection.

Standing at the far end of the living room, Lance was able to maintain a stoic, yet seductive look at first, but that soon gave way to a big grin. Taking in the sight, Shiro’s mouth was suddenly dry despite the glass of water he had just had at supper.

“Damn…” Shiro breathed.

Lance slowly approached, flirtily sashaying his hips as he walked. He was now standing right in front of Shiro, so close that Shiro had to crane his neck up to meet his eyes. His grin only growing, Lance placed his right knee on the armchair and hooked his right arm around the headrest so he could swoop in closer to Shiro. Their lips brushed, but Lance didn’t linger too long. He swung his left leg up to rest on the seat of the armchair, as well, so that he was now straddling Shiro’s lap; his swift movement caused his robe to billow a bit before landing across Shiro’s arms. He gasped at the goosebumps that suddenly arose. Fully hard, Lance’s cock was now peeking out of the top of the G-string. Once he was settled on top of Shiro, Lance leaned in so that their foreheads touched.

“You like?”

Shiro managed to nod.

Their eyes remained locked on each other as Lance began to grind downward, slowly at first so that it was hardly perceptible. Shiro’s cock recognized what he was doing before Shiro himself did; he instantly grew hard beneath his pajama pants.

“I’m not made of glass, Shiro. You can touch me, if you want.”

It was then that Shiro realized his hands were still rested on the seat on the armchair, as if frozen. He gradually raised them to Lance’s sides; the satin and lace were just as smooth as they looked. With that done, Lance resumed his movements, gyrating his torso, slowly and sensually. The friction of Lance’s G-string against Shiro’s lounge pants made Shiro gasp; he had never felt anything quite like it. He was curious how the lace would feel rubbing against his bare cock, but at the moment, he didn’t have the faculties to even adjust his pants and free himself. The friction of cloth-on-cloth was more than enough for now. His eyes slipped shut as he took in the sensations, so he was taken by surprise a few moments later when Lance finally brought their lips together for a full-on kiss.

Shiro knew he wasn’t going to last long, not at this rate. The lingerie only enhanced Lance’s natural beauty, and, more than that, the playfulness and extra boost of confidence it brought out in Lance were driving him wild. 

When their lips wrenched apart over a minute later, Shiro grabbed Lance’s hand; elevating it, the long sleeve slipped down, exposing his skin so that Shiro could kiss a trail up his wrist. Arriving just below his palm, he could feel the rapid flutter of Lance’s heartbeat just beneath the skin. Biting his lip, Lance thrust his hips harder, as if he were riding a bull at a rodeo, causing Shiro to dig his fingernails into the fine cloth around his waist.

Lance clenched this thighs and bolted upright, his orgasm hitting him hard and sudden. As his cock was still caught between the lining of the G-string and his abdomen, Lance’s come shot straight upward, coating both of their chests; some even reached Shiro’s chin. Shiro couldn’t stand it any longer; he pulled down his pajama pants, allowing his cock to spring out. As he recovered, Lance saw what he was trying to do and scooted backwards an inch or so on his lap to give Shiro room to finish himself off. He only needed a few strokes, however, before stars exploded behind his eyelids, squeezed shut with the force.  

Gasps of air managed to escape Shiro’s lungs; he didn’t think he would ever breath normally again. Lance was panting, too; when they both had recovered their breaths, however, Lance inched forward again to run his tongue along Shiro’s chin, cleaning up his own come, before bringing their mouths so close that they shared breath. The action always felt so intimate.

“Well, _that_ was hot,” Shiro said, chuckling. “I think that’s the fastest I’ve ever gotten aroused outside of your heat?”

“A new record,” Lance agreed. “We’ll have to beat it somehow.”

Shiro wasn’t quite sure how that would be possible, but knowing his mate, Lance would find a way. Lance looked down at his outfit stained with their come; Shiro hoped it would wash out of the delicate fabric.

Lance suddenly looked thoughtful. “So… if we were to hypothetically go to the Sanctuary reunion… and if I were to hypothetically wear _this_ ,” he gestured to his body, “…I think it might make things slightly more enjoyable for us.”

“Really? I mean, everyone would be looking at you – because how could they not?! – and they’d expect you to sit all over me, and... oh,” It suddenly dawned on Shiro. “ _Oh_. You’re saying _that_ could be enjoyable, because…” He teasingly poked Lance in the chest. “Look who has an exhibitionist streak!”

“‘Exhibitionist,’ that’s like, showing off, right?” Lance asked.

“Yeah, _and_ … doing sexy stuff in public.”

Lance flushed a bit in realization, before shrugging. “Eh, what can I say? Fighter pilots aren’t exactly known for their humility. And besides, it would be fun to show off what a good Alpha I have.” He ground downwards once more, as if to emphasize his point.

Although he had already tucked his cock away, Shiro was still a bit sensitive; he gasped and bucked his hips in surprise.  

“Sorry, sorry!” Lance said, getting off his lap.

“It’s fine!” Shiro laughed.

“Here, I’ll leave your lap alone.” Lance sat down cross-legged on the nearby couch, his softening cock evident through the G-string.

“So,” Shiro said, “we could go to the reunion, _not_ to see old friends or reminisce over your time there, just to have a bit of fun with each other in public?”

Lance sat up straighter. “Basically! And I know the reunion is two days long, so maybe we could just go for one day, to the main event. But I only want to go if it’s something you’d want to do.”  

“Playing the Sanctuary at their own game and sticking it to the Elites? I can’t think of a more romantic date, babe!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Your comments and kudos are a big encouragement to me!
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @WonderWhispFic! I post chapter updates and retweet Shance stuff I like. If you'd like to draw fanart or anything inspired by "beneath the uncountable stars," I'd absolutely love to see it! Feel free to send me a DM and yell about Shance :)


	34. Chapter 34

Lance had enjoyed their lazy weekend at home, but by the time Monday morning came, he was fully recovered from the _Opal_ mission and more than ready to return the Garrison. Shiro had never known him to get cabin fever, but he could understand Lance’s restlessness: he had learned so much from his first trip to space and he was itching to get back to his training and apply his new skills. Lance really was a tactile learner; while he enjoyed his classes and worked hard on his written assignments, he had absorbed so much from the hands-on, real-life experience.

Lance’s shift at the café would extend past Shiro’s office shift that afternoon, so they planned on going to the Garrison separately, Shiro in his car and Lance on his bike. Before saying goodbye and leaving for the day, they agreed to call the Horotari Sanctuary later that afternoon to confirm their RSVP to the reunion. They would have done it that morning before leaving the house for the day at 0830, but the Sanctuary was in the Mountain Time Zone, so it was an hour earlier there and the business office would not be open yet.

“There’s still time to change your mind!” Lance reminded Shiro as he finished packing their lunches.

“And miss out on a chance to see you in that lingerie again? Not likely!”“With you.” 

 

* * *

 

Shiro and Lance often attended meetings at the Garrison, but never the same ones, as their responsibilities and activities rarely overlapped. But that day, they got to attend a meeting together: the post-mission overview for the _Opal_ mission. It would be led by Commander Goldstein with the eleven cadet crew members also making brief presentations of their findings; a few faculty and staff members were invited to attend, as well, including Shiro. He didn’t know the reasoning behind who was chosen to attend. Looking around the conference room before the meeting began, there were a few staff members, who, like himself, had not been involved in the _Opal_ mission at all. Even so, Shiro couldn’t help but think he had been invited simply because he was Lance’s Alpha. _Surely, they have realized by now that Lance doesn’t need me to be constantly at his side?_ he thought, feeling a bit annoyed at the suspicion. But Commander Goldstein stood and began the meeting, so he set those thoughts aside for now.

As she had announced after the _Opal’s_ landing, Commander Goldstein described the cadet-operated mission as a great success. The eleven young people had worked together as a team, putting aside differences to focus on the bigger goal at hand. Each cadet was congratulated for their hard work; Lance received a commendation for his piloting abilities.

“I admit I had had my doubts,” Commander Goldstein said of Lance, “but our token Omega certainly held his own.”

Murmurs of agreement were heard throughout the conference room before she moved on to the next cadet. Shiro glanced over to Lance sitting beside him; his eyes were fixed on the table and he was biting the inside of his cheek. _Goldstein thought she was complimenting Lance, but bringing up his dynamic like that was just unnecessary,_ Shiro thought.

Commander Goldstein moved on to review the changes they had observed in the Trojan and Main Belt Asteroids and Shiro forced himself to focus on what she was saying. He knew it was neither the time nor place to be getting up in arms about the Garrison’s traditional views about Omegas.

The meeting soon came to a close and everyone was dismissed; Lance gave Shiro a quick peck goodbye before leaving for his next class. As Shiro packed up his things, Goldstein approached him on the far end of the conference room. She looked at him wordlessly, as if expecting him to speak first.

“Er, that really was a great mission, especially for a first-time crew. Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Goldstein said simply. “I believe congratulations are in order for you, as well, Shirogane. Cadet Cicerón was truly an asset to the team.”

Taken aback, Shiro squinted. “Thank you, but Lance deserves the credit. I didn’t do anything for the mission.”

“Not directly, but as his Alpha, you were responsible for him returning to the Garrison; Iverson told me all about your admissions meeting with him and Montgomery. So, when Cadet Cicerón succeeds, we have you to thank.”

“I’d have to disagree, Commander.” Shiro closed his satchel and stood slowly. “Lance’s success is from his dedication, hard work, and studies. He earned his enrollment in the fighter pilot program, both when he was thought to be a Beta and last year, as an Omega. And according to what I’ve heard you and several other people say, he more than proved himself on the _Opal_ mission. The Garrison is going to see what Omegas are really made of.”

She put a hand to her hip. “You really think Lance is going to change everyone’s minds – that by this time next year, there will be dozens of Omega pilots and engineers and commanding officers? The fact that he got back into the Garrison at all after his time at an Omega Sanctuary was a fluke, a _major_ outlier. _He_ is an outlier. You two are not going to change centuries’ worth of mindsets about the dynamics just because of one abnormal Omega.” She scoffed, but the expression melted into a smile. “Sorry to disappoint.” Her eyes darted down to check a notification on her watch. “Once again, congrats, Shirogane.”

As she headed for the door, the clacks of Goldstein’s heels were the only sounds to be heard, as the conference room had by then completely emptied out. Shiro remained motionless, replaying the brief encounter in his mind.

Goldstein had been on the committee to select the _Opal_ team members, and from her commendations for Lance during the meeting, Shiro had thought that she would at least be open to the idea of more Omegas at the Garrison working in fields dominated by Alphas and Betas. But the way she had called Lance an “outlier” had sent chills down his spine. In her opinion, he had only returned to the Garrison because of Shiro, not by his own merit; it was like Lance’s accomplishments on the mission had meant nothing to her.

“Shiro, I didn’t know you’d be in the public relations meeting.” Commander Ryu’s voice jarred Shiro from his thoughts.

He looked up to see his colleague standing in the doorway of the conference room, a puzzled look on her face. Shouldering his satchel, Shiro bolted from his chair and through the door.

“Er, I’m not. I was just leaving.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading! Writing this story has been so fun and your support along the way has been amazing!
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @WonderWhispFic! I post chapter updates and retweet Shance stuff I like. If you'd like to draw fanart or anything inspired by "beneath the uncountable stars," I'd absolutely love to see it! Feel free to send me a DM and yell about Shance :)


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating last week! I had something unexpected come up with university that was really stressful and only today got it resolved. I should be able to get back on my schedule of posting chapters every Friday.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

 

When March 4th eventually arrived, Shiro and Lance got into Shiro’s car with the address of the Horotari Sanctuary for Elite Omegas as their destination on the GPS.

The trip was about two and a half hours, and as Lance had gotten his American driving license the month before, he wanted to drive for the first half of the trip to get some experience driving in the mountains. He was excited to be on a road trip where he got to drive; since he had only lived in the States for a few months before starting his education at the Sanctuary, he had not had a chance to drive much in the last few years. Lance had put on a lo-fi chill-hop Spotify playlist at a quiet volume, as they both loved the genre; it filled the silence when their conversation had eventually come to a natural end. Content to be quiet for a while, Shiro pulled out a book he had brought to pass the time.

After a while of reading, he looked over at Lance, his eyes trained steadfastly on the road. His outfit consisted mostly of his lingerie with some small additions to make it somewhat more appropriate to wear in public. “Not that they would care,” Lance had said as they were getting dressed, “I could probably show up naked and they wouldn’t bat an eye. But I have my standards.” He wore the golden jewelry the Sanctuary had had students wear on days Alphas would come to “shop”; the golden choker and bangles completed the outfit and made him look quite regal. Overtop all of that, he wore a thick winter coat, both to keep warm in the much colder weather they were headed into and to keep his outfit concealed until the banquet began.

Shiro wore the outfit he had put together for Lance’s Garrison admissions interview the year before – the dark purple, crisp Oxford shirt layered under a black sportscoat and slacks – as he hadn’t been willing to spend money on some fancy new outfit just for the reunion. He had, however, slicked back his forelock, in order to dress up the look a bit more. It took some convincing, but Lance eventually agreed to keep his hands out of Shiro’s hair for the evening to keep it in place.

“Are you nervous?” he asked after a while.

Looking over his shoulder to change lanes, Lance nodded briefly. “Kinda. You?”

“Yeah. I hate Elite events, and this is pretty much the Elite event to end all Elite events…”

“I know. But we’re going to make it fun, okay?”

“Right. We’ll play along and beat them at their own game.”

As Lance was still overly cautious as an out-of-practice driver, he didn’t look over to meet Shiro’s smile. But he did reach his right hand across their shared armrest to find Shiro’s hand, which he held tight.“With you.” 

 

* * *

 

They arrived a few minutes before 1900, right on time. The first event of the reunion weekend, and the only one Shiro and Lance were going to attend, was a lavish banquet. Although they had been kept on strict diets, Lance had said their food for everyday meals as students had always been gourmet, so he predicted that the banquet was going to be out of this world.

By then, they had switched drivers, as traditional Elite Omegas would never be caught behind the wheel. Shiro pulled into the huge estate. He had been there last in June of the previous year; now, in the first week of March, spring weather had not yet arrived. There was a thick blanket of snow on everything, giving the century-old, castle-like architecture an even more ethereal appearance than it already had. More snow was in the forecast that evening, so Shiro and Lance were planning on getting a hotel room after the banquet so that they would not have to drive home that night in a storm. The change in climate between a few hundred miles was almost hard to believe.

Shutting off the GPS, as it would only get confused, Shiro followed signage for “Car Park B – Horotari Reunion 2023.”

“‘Car Park?’” he wondered.

“Yep, that’s their fancy way of saying a ‘parking lot.’” Lance looked ahead. “Ooh, I think those are valets!”

“Valet parking – I’m not surprised.”  

Shiro wasn’t thrilled with the idea of handing his car off to a stranger, but there was no avoiding it. He parked at the curb and the two of them got out. After taking Shiro’s key, the valet driver pointed them in the direction of the reunion, in the West Wing. As they made their way down the winding stone path, a few more couples arrived behind them as well, walking in the same direction.

“I’ve never been to the East Wing,” Lance said, his neck craned back to see the strings of white lights in the canopy of trees above them. “The banquet hall is only ever used for special events, so it was off limits for students. Feels weird to be going into it…”

“‘The Forbidden Banquet Hall,’” Shiro intoned in a goofy voice. “Reminds me of those tweets and Tumblr posts about ‘forbidden snacks.’”

“Those rubber pencil grips _look_ like candy, and I don’t care what you say!”

“You’re never going to live that down, babe!”

They laughed as quietly as they could at their inside joke to avoid drawing attention.

“So… I’ll probably follow your lead, right?” Shiro asked, his voice lowered so that the other couples wouldn’t hear. 

Lance took Shiro’s arm, resting both hands in the crook of his elbow. “I was going to follow your lead! You’re the only one of us who’s been to Elite parties.”

“You had two years of training; I think you’re more qualified in general.”

“But you’re my _Alpha_.” Lance stood on tiptoe to purr the word into Shiro’s ear as they continue to walked. “I’m supposed to obey everything you say, right?”

Shiro could feel the hairs stand up on his neck.

“Damn it,” he laughed quietly. “Fine. But I don’t know everything about Elite culture. We need a signal if I screw something up without knowing it, or if we just need to make a quick getaway.” 

“I could nibble on your right earlobe. Omegas will be all up on their Alphas anyway, so I doubt anyone would notice.”

“So a nibble on my right earlobe means ‘we need to talk in private so we can get on the same page.' Gotcha.”

“Right. And left earlobe will just mean I’m teasing you.”

Shiro grinned at him, before they exchanged looks that indicated they should end that conversation; they were catching up with the people ahead of them as they neared the grand double doors East Wing. As the cluster of couples approached, the doors were opened from within by two servants. They got in the line to wait their turn to sign in. The high-ceilinged lobby was ornately decorated for the occasion in a theme of white and purple; stone pillars were wrapped with climbing ivy and the music of a live orchestra could be faintly heard.

Lance remained on Shiro’s arm, holding onto him like he would fall over otherwise; traditional Elite Omegas were expected to be entirely dependent on their Alphas. _And so it begins_ , Shiro thought, biting back a grin.

When it was their turn, he greeted the receptionist and said, “Lance and Takashi Cicerón-Shirogane.”

As the receptionist checked them in, Shiro realized how much his own voice surprised him, as he had unconsciously dropped it a bit lower as if to be more formal. Though their combined names were a bit of a mouthful, he liked the way they sounded. Most Elite couples used the Alpha’s last name, but they had agreed to use both of their last names together; while rare, it was not unheard of to do.

The receptionist had finished checking them in. “The banquet hall is on the left,” she said, gesturing in the direction. 

On their way, they dropped off their outerwear at the coat check. As Lance slipped out of his big, winter jacket, Shiro found himself as dumbstruck by the sight of his mate just as he had been in the past. But Shiro was quickly brought back to reality when the two people working the coat check wished them a pleasant evening, indicating for them to move along so they could attend to the next guests in line.

If they thought the lobby was impressive, the banquet hall put it to shame; even Lance, who was familiar with the Sanctuary’s fondness for formality from having lived there, was taken aback. The room felt vast, despite already being relatively crowded both with couples and singles. An enormous glass chandelier hung above them from the vaulted ceiling; despite being lit by candles rather than bulbs, it somehow managed to cast the entire room in a delicate glow. Dozens of long tables lined the room, all covered by fine white cloth and huge arrangements of flowers and candelabras.

As the banquet was not scheduled to begin for about half an hour, the guests who had already arrived were mingling in a large seating area off to the side with several couches and loveseats. Staffed by at least ten people, an expansive bar lined the far left wall and many guests already had drinks in hand. Observing everyone else, Shiro was relieved to see that he and Lance were not under- or overdressed for the occasion; he noticed some people, presumably Elite Omegas, were wearing clothes just as, if not more, revealing than Lance’s. Next to the bar was the live orchestra; the music they had heard out in the lobby was now quite loud.

Taking in all the sights, Shiro and Lance gradually entered the banquet hall. Shiro felt Lance’s hand tighten on his arm.

“Okay?” he whispered. Lance merely swallowed and nodded.

They suddenly heard a sharp gasp.

“Takashi! Lance! You made it, after all!”

It was Danika Southerland. She and Stephanie approached with smiles on their faces. They were both wearing elegant ballgowns; Stephanie’s, in particular, definitely emphasized her Omega figure.

“Hi, Danika and Stephanie,” Shiro said, raising his free hand in greeting. “We, er, had a change of plans, so we decided to come.”

“Oh, how wonderful! There’s nothing like your first Sanctuary reunion! You’re in for a treat this weekend!”

Shiro expected Lance to explain that they were only attending the banquet that evening, but he didn’t say anything. He looked to him in a brief moment of confusion before realizing that Lance was likely not going to say anything unless directly addressed, to help him blend in better.

“We won’t be able to stay the whole weekend, but we at least wanted to come to the banquet,” Shiro quickly explained.

“Well, we’ll just have to squeeze in all the fun of the whole weekend into this evening for you!” Danika said excitedly. “C’mon, I’ll introduce you to some friends; I think they’re still over at the bar.”

Turning on her high heel, Danika lead Stephanie toward the far side of the room with Shiro and Lance in their wake.

“See anyone you recognize?” Shiro asked him quietly.

“Hmm, a few, but we weren’t really on a first-name basis. Most of these people probably left the Sanctuary several years ago.” Lance’s eyes were constantly on the move, scanning the clusters of people socializing. “I’d honestly be fine if I didn’t see anyone I knew.”

Danika gathered her friends – at least twenty people, all in couples – and they sat in a circle of couches, preexisting conversations still carrying on even as she introduced Lance and Shiro to everyone. Most of Danika and Stephanie’s friends were older than Lance, so he did not know any of them already. Danika introduced them to so many people in such a rapid succession that Shiro doubted he could remember all their names, much less where they were from, what year they “transitioned” from the Sanctuary (apparently, that’s how the referred to the “purchase” of Omegas), how many kids the couples had, and what their Alphas did for a living. Shiro could tell the information overload had Lance’s head spinning, as well.

Once the rapid-fire introductions were out of the way, Danika kept the conversations going: expertly, diplomatically facilitating things so that no one was left out as they all caught up, even getting the silent Omegas to speak up on occasion. The majority of the time, though, the Omegas kept their eyes either downward toward their laps or directly on their Alphas; remembering his training, Lance did the same.

Fortunately, though, Danika’s whirlwind tour and vigorous conversation helped pass the time before the food was served and the banquet was ready to begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Your comments and kudos are a big encouragement to me!
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @WonderWhispFic! I post chapter updates and retweet Shance stuff I like. If you'd like to draw fanart or anything inspired by "beneath the uncountable stars," I'd absolutely love to see it! Feel free to send me a DM and yell about Shance :)


	36. Chapter 36

Following Danika’s hoard of friends, Shiro and Lance left the bar longue and headed to the other end of the expansive hall. Seating placements at the long banquet tables were organized by the years that the Omegas left the Sanctuary so that they could interact with those they were more likely to know. Couples, of course, were seated together. At the head of the room, Shiro noticed one table that did not seem to be for couples; he assumed it was for the Sanctuary directors and instructors and perhaps some of the most generous donors. His assumption turned out to be correct; once everyone was seated, a rather imperial looking man in a deep red suit stood from that table, ascended a small stage, and addressed the room.

“Good evening.” He did not need a microphone; his voice boomed quite naturally. “Thank you for joining us for the 2023 Reunion for the Horotari Sanctuary for Elite Omegas. I am Bradley Sendak, director and headmaster of this beautiful Sanctuary. I know I speak for my board and staff when I say what a privilege it is…”

The speech continued on, his formal tone and solemn expression not slipping even once. All eyes were on him, so no one at their table noticed when Lance leaned in and tugged on Shiro’s elbow. He quietly pointed out that they had been seated near a few of his past classmates, Andrew, Kayla, and Justine, along with their respective Alphas. Shiro glanced across the table to, matching the place setting nametags to the faces. At the close proximity, Lane looked a bit nervous, yet resigned to the fact that he would have to interact with the people from his past.

As Director Sendak’s speech went on, small hors d'oeuvres were served; Shiro was pretty sure they were called canapés. He tried to say a quiet “thank you” to the waiter who had served him, but he moved on so quickly to the next person that Shiro didn’t have a chance.

“We hope you enjoy this weekend of reminiscence even as we look toward our bright future,” Sendak said, a note a finality in his voice. “Eat, drink, and, of course, feel free to pleasure yourselves in any way you see fit.”

Knowing chuckles murmured throughout the banquet hall, before the room burst into applause and Director Sendak was seated. Gradually, the conversations picked back up as everyone waited for the food to be served. 

Catching Shiro’s attention, Lance nodded toward the young man seated across from them. “Andrew was my roommate,” he murmured.

Andrew’s coarse, curly hair was tied back in a low ponytail; he wore a white, crisp suit, though there was no shirt underneath. His Alpha, a tall woman perhaps five years older in a pristine white dress, was busy talking to someone else.

It was announced that the next course, a French-style salad of greens, tossed with a mixture of balsamic vinaigrette and olive oil, was about to be served. As they waited, Shiro decided to make conversation with Andrew.

“Er, nice to meet you, Andrew,” Shiro said. “I am Lance’s Alpha, Takashi Shirogane. I hear you two were roommates, huh?”

“Indeed,” Andrew said. He had broader shoulders than average for an Omega, so his voice would likely have been naturally loud, though the customary whisper disguised this.

“You must have a few embarrassing stories about Lance; I’d love to hear a few!” Shiro said with a teasing grin, first to Lance, then to Andrew.

He couldn’t help but be a bit surprised when Andrew did not meet his eyes. After all this time with Lance, that was going to take some getting used to.

Eyes flitting from Lance then back to his empty plate, Andrew looked a bit nervous. “How do you mean?”

“Like… did Lance ever oversleep and have to rush to get ready for training or something…?” Shiro prompted. Lance looked between Shiro and Andrew, awaiting his old roommate’s response.

“If he had, he would have been immediately dismissed from the Horotari Sanctuary,” Andrew answered simply.

“Right, right,” Shiro quickly amended. _Not the best topic to discuss, apparently_ , he thought. Fortunately, just that moment, the waitstaff placed elegant bowls of steaming soup in front of them.

Noticing the brief interaction, Andrew’s Alpha turned her attention away from the person she had been speaking to. 

“Did you need something?” she asked Shiro, a bit of sharpness in her voice. According to the name tag on her place setting, her name was Marisa.

“O-oh, I was just asking Andrew about back when he and my Omega, Lance, were roommates here at the Sanctuary.”

The glint of suspicion slowly left Marisa’s eyes, and as they began to eat the soup, Shiro introduced himself to her, as well. As much as Shiro wanted to converse with the nearby Omegas and encourage them to engage, he thought it would be better to speak with Alphas for right now.

“What do you do for a living, Marisa?” he asked, taking a small sip of the red wine that had materialized in front of him at some point.

“I am the Chief Financial Officer of a bank in Chicago.”

Shiro nodded in interest. “How long have you been there?”

“Nine years.”

Marisa said no more and continued taking demure spoonfuls of soup. In Shiro’s opinion, a conversation would normally continue from there; either she would talk a little more about what she did, or ask Shiro about his job. But there was nothing “normal” about the conversation, or the event itself. Marisa may not have been a talkative person, but the added layer of Elite society stopped Shiro from trying to continue.

“That went well,” Shiro murmured to Lance.

“Andrew and I… weren’t exactly the best of friends.”

“No kidding…”

All around them, Alphas were already involved in conversations with each other, as if picking up where they had left off, not allowing their Omegas – or Shiro or Lance, for that matter – any openings to join in or even speak up. After a few minutes, their soup bowls were whisked away and the main course, a mustard-crusted boneless prime rib roast with a savory sauce, was served.

Lance’s two other past classmates, Kayla and Justine, were just as silent as Andrew, hanging on their Alphas’ every word and occasionally taking small bites of their food. Kayla was quite short, even for an Omega, and had striking green eyes, and she wore a short, lacy dress to match; Justine appeared to be European with very light features, which were complemented by the light cream, sleeveless suit she wore. Lance cleared his throat more loudly than normal, getting the three Omegas’ attention. They made direct eye contact with Lance.

“So… you guys must have left the Sanctuary shortly after I did. Have any of you had litters yet?” he asked them.

Lance likely wanted to get to know the Omegas better as individuals, but Shiro figured that discussion of one’s pups was among the safer topics of conversation for the Elite Omegas.

“I am pregnant,” Kayla said, moving a hand to her belly. She glanced to her Alpha next to her, though he didn’t notice her eyes on him. “We just found out a few weeks ago.”  

“That’s awesome! Congrats, Kayla!” Lance said, sounding genuinely happy for her. A pleased flush crossed her face.

Justine tossed her bangs. “I haven’t had a heat ever since being purchased.”

“Well, trust me, bonded heats are about a _billion_ times better than unbonded heats!” Lance said, using humor to lighten the mood.

Justine, however, did not laugh. She just stared at him in a mix of embarrassment and horror. Lance caught onto his own faux pas a moment too late.

“O-oh, sorry!” he stammered. “That’s inappropriate… I shouldn’t of-”

“It’s fine, Lance,” she said stiffly before cutting another piece of the prime rib on her plate.

Attempting to move on, Lance looked to his old roommate. “How about you, Andrew? Any luck yet?” 

Justine and Kayla both looked a bit awkward, as if they knew something. Andrew chewed the inside of his cheek.

“I… got pregnant my first day with Marisa,” he said, his voice strained. “But I miscarried a few months in and lost both pups.”

Shiro knew what if felt like to be in a spacecraft airlock, and, at least for the five of them in the conversation, the air may as well have been sucked out of the room. He and Lance had had no way of knowing this about Andrew, but Shiro could tell Lance blamed himself for bringing up the painful subject. His whole body stiffened and he moved to stand up, as if ready to round the long banquet table and comfort Andrew.

“Andrew… I’m so sorry-”

But Andrew stood abruptly from the table. “M-Marisa, I need to use the Omegas’ room,” he told his Alpha, his voice louder than Shiro had yet heard from an Omega that evening.

Still wrapped up in a conversation with another Alpha, Marisa looked to Andrew for all of two seconds before waving him away, and Andrew quickly took his leave. Shiro couldn’t believe Maria’s dismissiveness when her Omega was obviously upset. Some of the waitstaff noticed Andrew dart from the table, but no one stopped him.

Kayla and Justine resumed eating, their gazes fixed on their plates. Lance still looked stunned at his two blunders in a row. Setting down his silverware, Shiro took Lance’s hand in his, resting their joined hands on his knee beneath the tablecloth. Even with all their training and past experience in Elite culture, maybe they were both more out of the depth than they realized.“With you.” 

 

* * *

 

Andrew returned from the restroom about ten minutes later, looking recovered but still very subdued. He gave Lance a small, sad smile; Shiro didn’t see any bitterness in the exchange and Lance appeared to relax a bit. In the meantime, the four dining companions had been mostly silent, Shiro’s mind annoyingly blank.

The final course was served: pieces of rich, flourless chocolate cake topped with bright red strawberries and cream. By that point, Shiro, Lance, Andrew, Kayla, and Justine had come to accept their silence as they were surrounded by the chatty Alphas.

Shiro was just finishing off his strawberry when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his shoulders from behind.

“Enjoying yourself, Takashi?” Danika asked with a giggle. “Wasn’t that meal just to die for?”

Shiro inched forward in his chair to subtly pull out of the unexpected embrace, though he disguised it by turning to face Danika. As always, Stephanie shadowed her.

“It was great,” he said. The awkwardness of the meal had mostly distracted him from the actual taste of the food.

“We’ll be heading back to the longue in a bit, if you’d like to join us,” Danika said, gesturing to the more casual seating area on the far end of the banquet hall, before smiling slyly. “There’s apparently going to be some after-dinner entertainment.”

“Oh?”

“It sounds like some current Sanctuary students have formed a dance team, so they’ll be putting on a performance.”

Shiro looked to Lance in an unspoken question. They had survived the banquet, which was the main event of the evening. There wasn’t much of a reason to stick around. Even so, Shiro hesitated to respond, silently deferring the right to answer to Lance.

As if he had read Shiro’s thoughts, Lance briefly considered Danika’s offer before turning halfway in his chair to face her, as well.

“We weren’t planning on staying for very long tonight with the bad weather and everything,” he said. The Omegas sitting nearby appeared surprised to hear him speaking out of turn. “But I’m curious about the dance team.” His eyes falling to Shiro, he asked, “May we stay a bit longer?”

Shiro knew Lance’s dutiful request was his disguised, Elite way of saying he would like to stay, despite them having accomplished what they had come to do. He looked a bit apologetic, so Shiro wanted to indirectly reassure him.

“Of course, Lance,” he said, reaching over a hand to pet the back of Lance’s head affectionately. Looking back up the Danika, he said, “Lead the way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks so much for reading! The Sanctuary Reunion plot arch has turned out to be longer than I was anticipating and I shifted some plans around in my outline, so it’ll be lasting for one more chapter. Writing Elite culture is tricky and not as enjoyable as just writing Shiro and Lance in their normal life, but I’m looking forward to what this plot arch will bring! :)
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @WonderWhispFic! I post chapter updates and retweet Shance stuff I like. If you'd like to draw fanart or anything inspired by "beneath the uncountable stars," I'd absolutely love to see it! Feel free to send me a DM and yell about Shance :)


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am taking a short break from this story, at least for a couple of weeks. I am graduating from college in May and I really need to focus on getting everything done. Once I graduate and start my summer job, my schedule will be freed up a lot to write for fun.

Shiro and Lance settled onto the same couch in the banquet hall longue that they had been on before. Danika and her swarm of friends descended upon the area as well, their conversations from dinner seemingly carrying on without pause. A few couples among them, however, had begun to making out on the various couches and loveseats.

They soon heard an announcement that the dance performance by the team of current Horotari students would be starting in five minutes, though the tone of the announcement indicated that no one was obliged to stop what they were doing to come over and watch. The stage next to the banquet hall longue still had the curtains drawn, but movement could be occasionally be seen behind them.

“So the dance team was a new addition since you left?” Shiro asked Lance, keeping his voice low.

“Yeah; I would have enjoyed being a part of it!” Lance replied, staring at the stage in anticipation. “But once the show is over, I’ll be ready to head out.”

The stage curtains soon drew back, revealing a line of eight young people dressed in what Shiro could only think of as flapper dresses, though, it being an Elite event, the dresses were considerably showier and skimpier than the outfits from the 1920’s. Accompanied by upbeat music played by the live orchestra, they started off with some tap dance. It eventually morphed into a fusion of jazz and ballet and the live music matched the faster tempo, providing a driving beat.

Shiro and Lance were positioned on their couch so they could easily view the stage, but many of the people around them were faced inward toward the circle of seating arrangements. Some people glanced over their shoulders to see the dancers, but most of them carried on talking as if there was just a TV on in the background and not people putting on a show only fifteen meters from them. Shiro had never been a part of a dance team or theatre production, but he could only imagine how disheartening it would be to practice for hours on end and put on a performance at an important event only for people to cursorily watch between snippets of small talk and getting drink refills. Glancing over to Lance, Shiro could tell he was likewise annoyed at the others’ indifference towards the dancers. When the first dance number ended and flowed into the next, there were some scattered applause throughout the room, but Shiro and Lance both clapped a little extra loudly as if to make up for the uninterested audience.

“Sir Shirogane, right?”

His gaze darting away from the stage, Shiro looked to his right to see a man had sat down on the couch next to his and Lance’s. It was Director Sendak, the headmaster of the Sanctuary. Shiro felt his body tense at the man’s sudden close proximity.

“I know your mother from a business conference; she was one of the speakers.” He held a glass of what appeared to be whisky, and from the way he spoke, it was likely not his first that evening. “And here’s her son, the brave astronaut and researcher; no surprise there! The things your team is doing at the Galaxy Garrison are quite impressive, I must say!”

Shiro wanted to give the dancers the respect they deserved and, besides that, he was not especially inclined to conversation with Sendak, the man responsible for the whole event. But there didn’t seem any way to avoid it.

“Thank you,” he said simply. “I enjoy the work.”

“That’s the best, isn’t it? Finding work that you truly love doing.” Sendak raised his glass in a gesture that encompassed the banquet hall. “Running the Sanctuary keeps me busy, but I wouldn’t want to do anything else.”

Shiro felt like the next polite thing to say would be to ask about Sendak’s job.

“How did you become headmaster?”

“Oh, now _that’s_ a long story, but see, here: Lance Cicerón, isn’t it?” Sendak said, finally acknowledging Lance at Shiro’s side. “The late bloomer from last year’s batch.”

Lance nodded a bit hesitantly, conceding the point.

“To be honest, with his age, some of the instructors were beginning to lose hope for him. But I knew we’d find him the right match eventually! He’s a gorgeous little thing; congrats on snagging him!” With an uproarious laugh, Sendak reached over and slapped Shiro on the back.

Fundamentally, Shiro agreed: Lance the was the most beautiful person in the world in his eyes. But he couldn’t bring himself to thank Sendak for the compliments. It wasn’t his place to say.

“Now don’t mind me, Lance,” Sendak said, glancing over to him, “I’m sure Sir Shirogane here would like to be serviced, eh? It’s not like you’re being graded anymore, so no need to be nervous!”

Shiro and Lance exchanged quick looks; they both knew what “servicing” meant, in that context. Their conversation back at home about Lance showing off in front of people came to mind. If they really wanted to indulge in this kink, it was either then or never.

Clearing his throat, Lance got up from the couch and stood facing Shiro. He was clearly nervous, but there was not much Shiro could say to reassure him, not with Sendak and all the others sitting right there watching. So Shiro just took in the wonder before him – his kind, brave, intelligent, sexy mate – letting his eyes roam so slowly and appreciatively that Lance would hopefully feel all the love and adoration Shiro felt for him in that moment. This seemed to do something for Lance, as he briefly narrowed his eyes and licked his lips, as if he was steeling himself.

The orchestra transitioned back into a jazzier piece to suit the style of the dancers on stage. Following the lead of the music, Lance twisted and turned his body in perfect sync with the music, letting his muscles work at a languid pace. He seemed to be dancing for himself, rolling his head back and running the tips of his fingers up his body. Lance’s lingerie shifted with every sashaying movement. On occasion, he pushed his hips out to the side just slightly with a hint of flirtation Shiro knew the coyness was only a charade but the way Lance moved his body almost as if he had forgotten he was doing so.

Suddenly the live music picked up its pace; a thrumming beat and bassline came from out of nowhere. Lance timed his moves perfectly to the new rhythm, his body shamelessly using every accent provided. Shiro was completely enthralled.

Then he was climbing onto Shiro’s lap.

For a moment Shiro actually stopped breathing. Lance pushed himself off smoothly for a ridiculously sexy and fast turn which lead to a move that brought him quite near the ground and up again, showing off his plush ass. Shiro actually had to swallow hard when another dip in the tempo of the music occurred and Lance apparently threw all caution to the wind, starting to writhe hard on Shiro’s lap.

There was nothing left for Shiro, he was hopelessly caught up in the sight. He should have been embarrassed at his straining erection but given the bizarre circumstances, he couldn’t, and frankly, there were probably other couples throughout the room who were doing a lot more than just a lap dance.

“But back to your question.” The sound of Sendak’s voice jarred Shiro back into reality.

His brain was online again. _Question, what question_ , he thought frantically as Lance wrapped his arms around Shiro’s neck, pressing their cheeks together as he rested his head on Shiro’s shoulder. But a few sentences into Sendak’s story, Shiro realized he was explaining the long process of how he came to be the headmaster of the Sanctuary, starting back at the beginning of his career twenty years ago. The man continued talking as if Shiro and Lance were just sitting normally on the couch and not having what would have normally been foreplay for them.

Shiro could only catch a sentence here and there of what Sendak was saying, a few familiar phrases often tossed around in Elite circles. As he spoke, Sendak held eye contact with Shiro, and he soon realized that he was expected to carry on like any normal conversation; Sendak was answering his question from earlier, after all. So whenever he managed to catch his breath, he would groan out a conversational “hmm-mm,” or “oh, interesting,” hoping desperately that that would be enough to appease whatever weird social expectations there were for a situation like this.

Otherwise, though, Lance filled his senses completely.

Lance let a few waves of body rolls cumulate in rubbing himself quite clearly against Shiro. Not only was the shift of muscles below soft skin all Shiro could see at that point, but his knuckles had turned white from the force he used to anchor his hands to the seat of the couch. The want to touch had grown so strong that every bit of contact Lance offered through his dance, made Shiro’s arousal surge.

When Lance had first shown Shiro his lingerie in their living room, Shiro’s mind had been blown. But this… this was on another level. Out of nowhere, Shiro felt a pair of lips flit against his own in a tease of a kiss. As soon as the realization hit Shiro, he moaned which Lance just used to sweep his tongue inside Shiro’s mouth. Sitting forward, Shiro caught Lance’s bottom lip and gently pulled on it with his teeth.

“Touch me,” Lance growled, speaking for the first time in a while. His voice was just loud enough for only Shiro to hear. “Let everyone see…” he rasped, “see what a good Alpha I have.”

The request came so suddenly for Shiro that, at first, he didn’t understand. His mind was still reeling from Lance’s performance.

“Shiro,” Lance moaned, hands tightly fisted into his suit jacket, “Touch me, please.”

Perhaps the “please” or the moan managed to penetrate Shiro’s mind enough for him to release his aching fingers, grasping for that lithe body on his lap; the lace of Lance’s outfit only accented the softness of Lance’s skin. Deftly, he used one arm around Lance’s waist to support him before bringing his hand up rub at an uncovered nipple which just had been sitting in front of his face too teasingly. The loud moan was sufficient encouragement for Shiro to continue; gripping Lance’s ass in his free had, he watched the beautiful face contort in pleasure.

Shiro realized he had lost track of Sendak’s story; he must have tuned out long ago. But when he refocused his attention on him, Shiro realized that Sendak was no longer talking, though his gaze was still very much focused on Lance and him. Working past the fogbank of his thoughts, Shiro’s eyes fell southward and what he saw made his blood feel cold in his veins. Sendak was palming the front of his pants; the outline of his erection was just barely visible. Then it struck Shiro: Sendak had eyes only for Lance.

Noticing Shiro had tensed up, Lance sat back a bit as if to check their surroundings. Barely perceptible past the loud music, Lance’s breath caught in his throat in a suppressed yelp of discomfort. He clung to Shiro like a drowning person. Then suddenly, Shiro felt a sharp pain on his right earlobe: Lance’s signal that they needed to talk in private, that something was most definitely _wrong_.

But Sendak chose that moment to resume his “conversation” with Shiro. “What about you, Shirogane? How did you decide to become an astroexplorer?”

 _No, hell no,_ Shiro thought, his mind racing. _I’m not sitting here a second longer while Sendak practically undresses Lance with his eyes._

Shiro didn’t even manage to say, “Would you please excuse us?” He was instantly on his feet, slightly adjusting his hold on Lance so that he was carrying him in his arms, and began storming away from the banquet hall longue. He received confused glances and stares from those still seated or standing at the tall bar tables, but he barely heeded them, dead-set on leaving by any means necessary. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Danika looking at him with a mix of concern and horror; when she tried to approach him, all that came out of his mouth was an animalistic snarl. It was the sound of an Alpha with an Omega in distress.

The grand double doors of the banquet hall finally came into view. The two servants who were manning them needed only one look at Shiro’s face to open the doors for him without question. His eyes cast about the lobby frantically for a place for them to go before landing on a door labeled “Janitorial Closet.” Storming over to it, Shiro found that it was, by some miracle, unlocked and unoccupied. Shiro’s hand clawed the wall next to the door for the light switch; once he found it, he closed the door behind them. The closet was full of cleaning supplies and appliances, but there was just enough room for the both of them.

Now that they were out of sight and completely alone, Shiro felt his primal rage and indignation slowly begin to subside. Taking in a deep breath, he carefully lowered Lance into a sitting position against a wall and kneeled in front of him. Lance was visibly shivering, both from anxiety and what Shiro quickly recognized as being suddenly cold. Shiro tore off his suit jacket, flattened it out, and patted it, indicating Lance should sit on it to separate his exposed skin from the cold tile floor. Lance did so, but soon curled himself into a ball, tears flowing freely down his face.

“I’m an idiot,” he groaned. “What was I expecting to happen? Most Elite Alphas are pervs; I bet Sendak wasn’t the only one getting off seeing us together. God, his eyes on me… I feel like I’m going to throw up.”

Shiro moved forward to catch Lance in his arms. He held him tight, lapping and kissing his scent glands, trying desperately to sooth him.

“Lance, my love, it wasn’t your fault; I was right there with you when we had that idea back at home to show off during the reunion. I thought it would be hot, too, but just for _us_. It didn’t occur to me-” Shiro drove a fist into his own forehead, trying to knock the image of Sendak’s lustful eyes from his mind. “We’re done here. Let’s go home, Lance.”

He began to stand, but Lance remained on the floor, his hands covering his face. He was still breathing hard and shivers still wracked his body. Shiro spotted a drop cloth on a shelf above them, covered in flecks of paint; _better than nothing_ , he thought as he briefly stood to grab it. After unfolding it, he wrapped it around Lance’s shoulders, sat down next to him on the floor, and held Lance in his arms in an effort to warm him more.

After a few minutes, the shivering died down.

“I’m so fortunate to have you, Shiro,” Lance said, his voice sounding tired and dry. Shiro was about to return the words, saying how his life was made so much better with Lance in it, but Lance continued, “I’m so fortunate, but all those other Omegas… all the Elite Omegas at Horotari, and the five other Sanctuaries in America, and who knows how many more throughout the world… they have no idea what it’s like to be in an equal, respectful relationship. They don’t have the freedom I have to do whatever I want to in life. They’re just trophies to be shown off. Dancing for you felt good, because I knew you appreciated it. But for them, the other Elite Omegas, it’s just expected of them and I acted like it was just something fun to try…”

Lance’s words broke Shiro’s heart, but he knew they were true. Elite Omegas had always been completely reliant on their Alphas. Omegas from non-Elite families could work and live independently, but there was still a strong stigma against them. Shiro saw everything Lance had seen at the reunion that night; he had always known how Elite and non-Elite Omegas were normally treated, the imbalance of power and the limits forced upon them, but he had never seen it so up close, in such abundance.

“When I brought you home from Horotari,” Shiro said as he began to massage Lance’s back, “I felt good about myself. I had freed an Omega from the normal Elite way of life and I was going to help him pursue his dreams. And I’m so glad I did that. But I let that warm, fuzzy feeling make me complacent; I thought I had used my family’s wealth and status for something that would help another person. I had done a good thing and I thought I had done my whole duty. But there’s so much _more_ that I can do. That we can do. Together.”

Shiro gently held Lance’s chin and tipped his face upward to meet his eyes. “Lance, we’re going to let this be a wakeup call,” he said. “We’re not going to let this this just shock and horrify us; we’re going to let it motivative us.”

“What’re you…” Lance asked breathlessly before trailing off. His eyes were wide with curiosity and zeal, anticipating what Shiro was going to say but not knowing how to put it into words.

“We’re going to free the Elite Omegas, Lance. The Elite Omegas, and the ones from lower classes, too. All of them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Your comments and kudos are a big encouragement to me!
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @WonderWhispFic! I post chapter updates and retweet Shance stuff I like. If you'd like to draw fanart or anything inspired by "beneath the uncountable stars," I'd absolutely love to see it! Feel free to send me a DM and yell about Shance :)


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have returned! The end of my last semester of university hit me like a ton of bricks, but I graduated last weekend and finally have my life back, so I'm going to return to a semi-regular posting schedule, hopefully one chapter every week or two. Thank you so much for your patience!

The two-and-a-half-hour-long ride home felt infinitely longer than the ride had been on the way to Horotari; they were both mentally exhausted from what had happened at the Reunion. After Lance had mostly recovered from his panic attack in the janitorial closet, they had left the Sanctuary without saying goodbye to anyone in the banquet hall; Shiro was anxious to get Lance home, far away from Sendak and the other Elites, where it was safe. Fortunately, the forecasted snowstorm had passed, so they didn’t need to get a hotel room for the night, after all. After getting some gas station coffee, they hit the road. Shiro insisted on driving all the way home since Lance didn’t have much experience driving at night, especially not while he was this worn out.

Despite their exhaustion, their conversation on the drive home ran a mile a minute as they brainstormed and made plans. Shiro could tell Lance was already feeling better since leaving the Sanctuary; he was bursting with ideas for “the Omega Revolution,” as they had started calling it. Some ideas were purely hypotheticals, but most of them seemed at least somewhat feasible; they ranged from what he and Shiro could do personally to what needed to be done in society as a whole. While Shiro contributed thoughts here and there, it was obvious that Lance had been thinking about this for a long time, perhaps since even before he had presented as an Omega, three years previous. And not for the first time, Shiro saw a natural drive in Lance’s personality, a strong desire to make the world a better place; it was just one of the few reasons why Shiro admired him so much.

Shiro had promised Lance that they would right the wrongs experienced by all Omegas; non-Elite Omegas had more freedoms than Elite ones, but both groups were quite limited compared to the other dynamics. He had meant what he said, with all his heart, and he would keep that promise, to the best of his ability. But in the heat of the moment, in his righteous anger over seeing firsthand the Elites’ treatment of Omegas, it was possible that Shiro had not fully considered the loftiness of that promise. Driving the dark, mostly empty road, he began to realize the true weight of his words.

“Ooh, I also have a cousin who’s an intern in Argentina,” Lance was saying excitedly, “maybe they could talk to someone who’s higher up and convince them to hire Omegas to government positions-”

“Um… Lance?” Shiro said slowly, glancing over to him in the passenger seat.

“Hmm?”

“I just… we’re going to do this; I _want_ to do this. I’m sick of Elite society and the way Omegas are forced to live; the Reunion tonight just reinforced that for me. But this is going to be hard. It was one thing getting you back into the Garrison after presenting; I had a few connections and we were really lucky with Professor Montgomery taking our side during the interview. But _this_ … this is so much bigger than the Garrison… and us. I don’t know how we’re going to actually change a whole society… It’s going to be a long road, and I don’t want to give you false hope…”

Lance did not seem at all phased by Shiro’s words.

“We _did_ get me back into the Garrison,” he said. “I really tried to not get my hopes up, it just seemed so impossible back then, but that didn’t matter. We did it. We rallied and got support from likeminded people. We can do that again, just on a bigger scale.” The road ahead was completely clear, so Shiro took a moment to meet Lance’s eyes. “I know it’ll be hard, but we can do anything, as long as we’re together.”

 _Good, we’re on the same page_ , Shiro thought, breathing more easily than he had been the last half hour.

“Right,” he agreed at last. “Together.” 

 

* * *

 

Once they arrived home late that night, they agreed to hold off on discussing the Omega Revolution further until after lunch the next day. They both needed to rest their brains after the eventful day they had had. Fortunately, they both got to sleep pretty easily despite Natsu’s excitement to see them after they had been gone the whole day. Shiro was glad they had only attended the first day of the three-day Omega Reunion on Saturday, so they still had all of Sunday to recuperate before returning to the Garrison on Monday.

The moment Lance finished his lunch of a turkey and cheese sandwich, he sprang up from the kitchen table and started pacing the kitchen, a gleam of excitement in his eyes.

“It’s revolution time, baby!” he told Shiro with a grin. “I’ve been waiting all morning!”

Finishing off his glass of water, Shiro laughed in agreement. “Revolution time, it is. So last night, I think you had said something about who we’re going to involve. Like, right before you conked out?”

“Ha! Yeah; I’m surprised I didn’t talk about it in my sleep. I didn’t, did I?” Pausing in the circular route around the kitchen he had been on, Lance briefly looked concerned that he _had_ been sleep-talking.

“Not that I heard,” Shiro reassured. “And if you had, it wouldn’t have bothered me.”

Lance instantly brightened. “Great! So yeah, like I was probably saying last night, we should obviously recruit the OG crew that helped me get back into the Garrison – Allura, Coran, Sam, Professor Montgomery, maybe even Instructor Dayak again. But obviously, none of them have any political connections, so we’d have to get other people too.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure: Sam has been with the Garrison for 30 years and has met a few US presidents and other politicians to receive awards and stuff. He’s pretty well connected, actually. And I don’t know for sure, but Professor Montgomery probably has friends in high places, too.”

“Oh, nice!”

“But yeah, we will definitely need more people. And I’m sure Shay, Hunk, Katie, Keith, and your other friends would help out in any way they can.”

“That’s, what, like, twenty people?”

“I know that’s not a lot, but those people know other people. We can get the word out, around the Garrison, around town, around the state, and beyond.”

“And so once we gather enough people on our side, what do we do from there? It’s gotta be more than just making a petition, like when I was readmitted to the Garrison. I guess we’ll go to Washington, DC, and do stuff there…?” The certainty slowly left Lance’s voice; he stopped pacing and rested his elbows on the kitchen counter.

“Maybe,” Shiro said. “Because this _is_ partially a civil rights issue – Omegas don’t have nearly the same rights as Alphas and Betas – but it’s also a cultural mindset, especially in Elite circles. We may be able to pass some new laws for Omegas to help them get better jobs and stuff, but changing the general public’s minds will be…” Shiro almost said, “a lot harder,” but he stopped himself, remembering their conversation the day before. They both knew it would be difficult – that was a given – but they were in it together, and that was what they needed to focus on. So instead, he said, “Er… that’ll be more of a gradual process.”

“Yeah… we can’t fix everything overnight. It’s probably take months and years to make a difference, and I’m okay with that.” Lance rounded the counter and drew close to Shiro, who was still at the kitchen table. Taking his hand, Lance continued, “If it means a better world for our future kids, or even our grandkids, I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

He gave Shiro a chaste kiss, so different from the heated, yet teasing kisses they had shared the night before at the Omega Reunion, having some fun showing off and playing the Elites at their own game. While that had not quite gone as originally planned, it ended up inspiring them and had urged them to take action. Somehow – maybe it was just Shiro’s imagination – both of them acknowledged this in the kiss, brief as it was.

Their conversation returning to more immediate matters, they discussed gathering their Garrison friends together for lunch on Monday to inform them of what was going on. It was just the next day, but Lance couldn’t wait that long to get the ball rolling. So after Shiro got his laptop from his upstairs office, they moved to the living room couch and composed an email together, explaining what had happened at the Reunion and everything they had discussed (leaving out a few of the bigger hypothetical ideas) thus far.

Towards the end of writing the email, Shiro said, “It’s actually probably for the best that we’re sending the initial information to them through an email. It’d be hard to get everyone’s schedules to line up by tomorrow or Tuesday to meet in person, and this way, all the details will be collected in one place right from the start for them to reference later.”

“Yeah! We can meet up in person with them all in the future, but this will be a good way to explain the big picture.” Yawning, Lance stretched his long limbs and, in the process, checked the kitchen clock for the time. He groaned. “I’d better go finish reading this week’s unit for Meteorology 466.”

“That’s the Planetary Atmospheres and Weather class with Hastings, right?”

“Yep! Gotta learn how to be a space weatherman.”

“Space weatherman, otherwise known as a speather-man!”

Lance thrust a finger in the air. “It is I, the speather-man!”

He leaned forward to get up from the couch, but before he left, Shiro kissed the top of his head. This, however, caused Lance to just fall back to his spot on the couch, snuggling close to Shiro. Wrapping his arms around Shiro’s shoulders, Lance peppered kisses across Shiro’s jaw. Their lips finding each other, Shiro sighed into an openmouthed kiss. Neither moved at all for about a minute, and Lance started to feel like deadweight on him.

Shiro pulled his head back slightly to end the kiss. “C’mon babe, those nonthermal escape mechanisms aren’t going to study themselves.”

“Can’t we just have a quickie real quick?”

“Nope. Study now, sex later. I’ll finish up the email and send it out to everyone.”

“ _Fiiiine.”_

Moving like some kind of boneless creature, Lance rolled himself off of the couch and into a semi-standing position. Shiro watched him trundle off towards the stairs, sighing melodramatically all the way.

“Hey, I’m proud of you! You can do it, speather-man!” Shiro called to him.

Before rounding the corner to the staircase, Lance glanced over his shoulder, the shine having returned to his eyes. Chuckling, Shiro blew him a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks so much for reading!
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @WonderWhispFic! I post chapter updates and retweet Shance stuff I like. Feel free to send me a DM and yell about Shance :)


	39. Chapter 39

Much as they wanted to, Shiro and Lance couldn’t spend all their time on their new endeavor. They had tons of new ideas for the Omega Revolution churning in their minds, but their responsibilities at the Garrison demanded much of their attention. Final exams were three weeks away for the cadets and Lance spent a lot of his time at home preparing.

“Any chance I could email my instructors and ask to be exempt because my friends and I are trying to change the world?” Lance asked, coming downstairs from a long study session.

Shiro pretended to consider the possibility and shrugged. “Maybe? Worth a shot!”

He had just finished vacuuming the house, a very common chore during that time of the year, as Natsu was shedding her winter coat. Lance fell back onto the couch, rubbing his forehead; remembering the course load of a second-year cadet, Shiro could empathize. Lifting Lance's legs, Shiro sat down on the couch and set the legs down on his lap.

“Hey, here’s something to get your mind off things,” he said. Lance raised his hands from over his eyes in interest. “Your birthday’s coming up. Did you have any ideas?”

Sitting up, Lance brightened. “Right! It’s the week after finals, so I’ll have my life back by then. With everything happening lately, I haven’t really thought about it, and once the semester ends, I’m going to want to focus on our plans for the Revolution.”

“True, but it’s your _birthday_ , Lance! We still need to celebrate!” Shiro said, patting Lance’s knee for emphasis. “And it’s the first birthday either of will have as a couple. Let me make plans for you!”

Lance folded his hands on top of Shiro’s hands, which were still on top of his knees. A mischievous smile crept onto his face as he considered. Shiro slipped his hands from underneath Lance’s and placed them on top and Lance immediately moved his hands on top; they repeated the cycle, gradually speeding up as they competed to see who would end up at the _very_ top of the hand pile. Natsu eventually came over and started pawing at their hands, assuming they were playing a game with her.

“ _Well_ … what do you have in mind?” Lance finally asked, patting a vacant spot on the couch to encourage Natsu to jump up and join them.

“Not so fast! I want it to be a surprise, babe!” Shiro said as Natsu plopped down on their shared laps.

Lance huffed in defeat. “Fair enough.” He got Natsu’s attention and scratched under her chin with both hands. “Now Natsu,” he said in his just-for-Natsu baby-talk voice, “I’m counting on you to go under cover, learn what Shiro’s planning, and report back to me, okay?” She wagged her tail at the attention he was giving her. “Aha! I’ve got Natsu on my side.”

“I can’t believe it, I’ve been betrayed by my own dog!” Shiro said in mock horror.

“But for real, though,” Lance said, lacing their fingers together, “thank you for thinking about my birthday, Shiro. I can’t wait!”

 

* * *

 

Unsurprisingly, Shiro and Lance’s friends responded to the email about the Omega Revolution enthusiastically in the coming week. Katie, being an Omega as well, seemed particularly touched in her reply email. All their other friends were Alphas and Betas, but they were familiar enough with the injustices against Omegas, both within the Garrison and beyond.

The only person who didn’t reply to their email within the first few days was Sam. Shiro knew Sam received hundreds of emails a day, but he still found it a bit odd that he had not heard back from him by Friday. In fact, they hadn’t talked at all that week. So Wednesday afternoon, Shiro stopped by Sam’s office.

“Shiro, hi!” Sam said in response to Shiro’s knock on his door. “Come in, come in.”

Shiro entered Sam’s office, which he felt nearly as at home in as his own office. “Hey, just wanted to stop in real quick. Did you get my email?” he asked, sitting on the worktable next to Sam’s desk.

“About the European Service Module? Yeah, I was going to talk to Robinson-”

“Actually, the one about Lance’s and my plans…?”  

“Oh, right…” Scratching his head, Sam leaned back in his office chair. “Yeah, I saw it. I, um…” He coughed. “I was going to reply, but something came up and it completely slipped my mind.”

Shiro raised an eyebrow; he noticed something in Sam’s voice.

“…Is that all?”

“Well…” Sam scratched the back of his again, this time with his other hand. “I don’t know how to say this but…”

“Sam, you know you can be honest with me.”

“Alright, then. Are you sure you know what you’re getting yourself into, Shiro?” he asked, crossing his arms. “Because, I’ll be honest: this seems a bit rash.”

“I know it’s kind of out of the blue, and no, maybe we aren’t 100% prepared right now, but Lance and I want to pursue this. And having our friends’ support will be a huge step in the right direction.” Shiro paused to give Sam a hard look. “Er, _do_ we have your support?”

Sam pressed his lips together. “I know how the Elite are; Colleen’s family is the dictionary definition. Her folks wanted Katie to go to a Sanctuary after she presented, but we refused, of course. I _know_ things need to change – I want a better future for Katie and other Omegas…”

“But…?” Shiro prompted.

“I don’t think I can help you.”

“Why aren’t you in favor of this?”

“I don’t want to see you and Lance try to go up against them only to get hurt! The Elites don’t take kindly to being told they’re wrong; they won’t have any qualms against silencing opposition. You’re David and they’re Goliath, but you don’t really have a stone in your slingshot; I just don’t see it ending well.”

Shiro had brought dozens of ideas to Sam in the past, and never once had he heard less than encouraging words from him. Sam would nudge him in the right direction, if needed, but he had never flat out told Shiro that an idea was almost certainly doomed to fail. Shiro trusted him as his mentor; he had never steered him wrong before. But Shiro also knew what he believed in, what he and Lance wanted to accomplish together.

“I get that, Sam,” he said, hopping off the worktable. He approached Sam and put a hand to his shoulder. “I understand if you don’t want to contribute to something that you think might harm Lance or me. But just know that Lance and I aren’t doing this on a whim: Lance was at an Elite sanctuary for two years, in the belly of the beast, and I’ve grown up in a family that became Elite almost overnight. Lance and I have always disagreed with Elite morals, but now we’re finally putting those beliefs into action. I’d rather try to make a change and fail, than to just continue to sit back and wait for someone else to step up.” Shiro glanced at his watch. “I’d… better get going.”

He turned away and walked toward the door, but the sound of Sam’s office chair rolling backward stopped him. Turning back around, Shiro found Sam right behind him, a hand reached out. Shiro stared at it a moment before meeting Sam’s eyes.

“I always knew you were brave, Shiro. That was one of the first things I noticed about you, back when I was the supervisor on your first mission as a cadet, all those years ago. But I see know you’re even braver than I thought. I’m sorry; I was wrong.” Sam offered him a determined smile. “Count me in.”

At that, Shiro took Sam’s outstretched hand in a handshake, which soon turned into an embrace. Shiro knew they could have gone without Sam on their team, but that had been far from his preference. Sam’s support meant the world to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for for reading! I'd love to hear from you! :)
> 
> Follow me on Twitter @WonderWhispFic! I post chapter updates and retweet Shance stuff I like. Feel free to send me a DM and yell about Shance :)


End file.
